Duaa Eldeib

Reporter

Photo of Duaa Eldeib

Duaa Eldeib is a reporter at ProPublica whose work has examined the systemic failures that led to a stillbirth crisis in the U.S., the fatal consequences of delaying care during the pandemic and the plight of hundreds of children trapped in psychiatric hospitals. She was part of a team of reporters who were among the first in the country to reveal the disproportionate and devastating effects of COVID-19 on Black Americans and collaborated with colleagues to cover the Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance policy for immigrants. Eldeib’s reporting has sparked legislative hearings and government reform and has led to the release of young men incarcerated as juveniles then later sent to adult prison for “minor” offenses. Her series on stillbirths was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.

Before joining ProPublica, Eldeib was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, where she investigated police misuse of polygraphs in cases leading to wrongful convictions. Her stories with two colleagues uncovering children being assaulted and sexually abused at taxpayer-funded residential treatment centers was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting. Eldeib’s reporting also led to the exoneration of a mother who was wrongly convicted of murdering her son. She has won numerous other national and local awards and was a 2014 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. Before joining the Tribune, Eldeib reported for the Daily Southtown, where she wrote stories exposing theft and corruption at a regional education office, which led to the arrest of the superintendent and spurred lawmakers to abolish the office.

Eldeib graduated from the University of Missouri with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology and received a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University. She is based in Chicago

“Hidden in Plain Sight”: Hundreds of Immigrant Children and Teens Housed in Opaque Network of Chicago-Area Shelters

Documents and interviews reveal allegations of abuse, threats and inappropriate relationships.

Federal Judge to Consider Independent Monitor for Illinois Child Welfare Agency

State officials have failed to deal with children stuck in psychiatric hospitals.

Illinois Lawmakers Demand Explanation on Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals

A call for state welfare officials to appear at a public hearing follows our ProPublica Illinois investigation.

Where Is “Home” for Children in State Custody?

Many of us have distinct memories of our own childhood homes. That’s not the case for hundreds of children trapped in Illinois psychiatric hospitals.

Every Day, a Child is Held Beyond Medical Necessity in Illinois

Hundreds of children and teens in state care are held each year in psychiatric hospitals for weeks or months at a time — even though they have been cleared to leave.

Hundreds of Illinois Children Languish in Psychiatric Hospitals After They’re Cleared For Release

The Department of Children and Family Services struggles to find appropriate homes for young people with mental illness.

Group to Send Lawyers to Help Incarcerated Teens

Controversy at youth facility in southern Illinois sparks a nonprofit to act.

Illinois Legislators Pledge to Deal with ‘Pipeline to Prison’ at Juvenile Correctional Facility

Sending teenage inmates to adult prisons for minor incidents undermines state’s reform efforts, witnesses say.

Concern Grows Over Youths at Juvenile Correctional Facility Being Sent to Adult Prison

Juvenile justice officials, advocates and a federal judge expressed worry over legal representation for youths.

A Story From the Saline County Jail

Time Spent in Solitary Confinement Drops Dramatically in Illinois Youth Facilities

The recognition that solitary confinement can harm young offenders led to a move away from harsh punishment at juvenile correctional centers.

For Some Youths, ‘Minor’ Offenses Lead to Major Sentences in Adult Prison

Cases threaten to undermine Illinois’ efforts at juvenile justice reform.

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