A total of 34 “publications” have been circulated throughout the state, with names like Chicago City Wire and Kane County Reporter, and a tagline of “Real Data, Real News.” All fall under the umbrella company Local Government Information Services, or LGIS. LGIS claims to be “a real media watchdog,” printing headlines suggesting criminals will soon be released into our neighborhoods under the Safe-T Act, and schools are “teaching boys to be girls.” Conservative activist Dan Proft is tied to both LGIS and People Who Play by the Rules PAC.
While citing journalistic integrity, Paddock Publications says, “The company does not endorse the content of any of the print jobs it does for vendors, including many newspapers. It neither embraces nor condemns them. It merely prints them.” They also stated in the letter “As a result, Paddock Publications has made the decision to cancel commercial printing jobs with LGIS.”
Don Crave, president of the Illinois Press Association, says, “All we can do is point out to people that those publications are not what they may appear to be. You’ve got to pay attention to the source of what you’re reading.”
Author of this post: Barbara Lonergan
“All we can do is point out to people that those publications are not what they may appear to be. You’ve got to pay attention to the source of what you’re reading.”
Don Crave, president of the Illinois Press Association