Rodriguez-Milito Links only Tip of the Iceberg
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE … Nov. 16, 1997
Ray Hanania
847-202-3838
Rodriguez-Milito Links only Tip of the Iceberg
IPSN Uses Web page to Break News
Chicago — The Illinois Police & Sheriff’s News, published by the Combined Counties Police Association, will use its Internet Web Site to remain competitive with local daily newspapers in the breaking story surrounding the resignation of Chicago Police Supt. Matt Rodriguez.
The controversy was sparked after the IPSN, published twice monthly, broke exclusive details that linked a mob connected Chicago Police Officer, Pierre Zonis, to the investigations of at least three murders with crime syndicate overtones.
The IPSN is reporting in its latest edition and on its Internet Web Site, that both Zonis and Milito’s names have surfaced in the three murders and that the friendship between Rodriguez and Milito may have thwarted investigations by the Chicago Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division.
The story, which is available on the World Wide Web at https://ipsn.org, is an effort by a smaller community level newspaper to publish stories in competition with the larger daily newspapers, said Managing Editor Ray Hanania.
“We have been working on this story for the past month, published many of the initial details that other daily newspapers jumped on, and we find ourselves at a disadvantage in the challenge to stay competitive with a newspaper like the Chicago Tribune,” said Hanania, a former 17 year veteran Chicago City Hall beat reporter.
“The World Wide Web, however, helps to level the reporting field, allowing us to break our story to the public prior to our newspaper hitting the streets. One of my responsibilities is to help the IPSN get its story out and remain competitive and the World Wide Web offers us that opportunity.”
Hanania said the article will be the lead story in its November 20 edition but will be available on the World Wide Web beginning Monday morning.
“We intend to use the web to publish breaking news stories which will then be carried in our newspaper,” said Hanania. “It’s an unusual but practical way to get our efforts out to the public quickly as the events occur, rather than after the fact. There used to be an old saying at City Hall: ‘It ain’t news until it’s published in the Chicago Tribune.’ That no longer holds water in every instance.”
Contact Ray Hanania for information on the use of the Web to break news; also contact John J. Flood for information on the details of the mob story.