Criminal justice reporter locks up Pollner professorship

By Alissa Herbaly Coons
J-School Web Reporter

An investigative reporter behind the stories that helped persuade Gov. George Ryan to stop death-row executions in Illinois will be the J-School's next T. Anthony Pollner visiting professor. Maurice Possley, who will visit UM from the Chicago Tribune, plans to teach a fall-semester class called "Covering Cops, Courts and Criminal Justice."

Maurice Possley

Possley, who sees his class as "one part journalism, one part law," said he'd like to focus on media coverage—how to cover a case, how to investigate a case, what to look for, what pitfalls to avoid—as well as impart an understanding of how the criminal justice system works.

He is also excited to teach in a place he's never seen.

"I've heard great things about Montana and I've always wanted to go there," he said.

Possley has been a journalist for 30 years and has worked as an investigative criminal justice reporter and metro editor for the Tribune since 1984. Possley has investigated numerous cases in Illinois and covered high-profile trials including those of Theodore Kaczynski and Timothy McVeigh.

"While most of my career has been spent covering all things legal, the past several years have been the most satisfying and gut-wrenching," Possley wrote in his application letter to the J-School.

Much of his recent work aims to expose problems in the criminal justice system. He and reporters Steve Mills and Ken Armstrong researched prosecutorial misconduct, the death penalty and false and coerced confessions to show how innocent people have been wrongly sentenced.

Their series, "Trial & Error: How Prosecutors Sacrifice Justice to Win," along with a project on the death penalty in Illinois, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1999. Through their work, Possley, Armstrong and Mills have helped release and exonerate 10 men, including five from death row, Possley said.

"There are eight others in prison whose cases we have investigated and presented compelling evidence of their innocence," he said.

Possley, who is 53 and married to Chicago Sun-Times religion columnist Cathleen Falsani, has four grown children. He does not yet know whether his wife will be able to join him here, or will come out only for weekends and vacations.

From time to time Possley has taught legal reporting at Northwestern University and Columbia College in Chicago. At UM he hopes to share the knowledge and expertise he's gained over the years to help students report criminal justice stories with confidence.

"Journalism is a continual learning experience," he said. "I've learned a lot of things in the past four or five years especially that I'd like to share."

Possley admits having other motives for coming to Montana.

"I would be less than honest if I didn't note that I like to flyfish," he said.

He's also ready for a break from reporting. The Tribune supports his taking time off to recharge his batteries, Possley said: "The last few years have been kind of intense."

Students interested in taking Possley's course can pre-register at the beginning of April. Admission will be based on reporting experience and GPA, as the class size is limited to 16. Admission is open to students in any journalism option.

The T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished Professorship brings a working journalist to teach at the J-School each year. The fellowship was created with an endowment from the family and friends of Anthony Pollner, a 1999 J-School graduate who died in an accident in May 2001.

Each Pollner professor teaches a seminar on a topic of his or her choice, works with the staff of the Montana Kaimin and delivers a lecture on a media-related topic. Pay for the semester's work is $43,000.

Possley will be the third Pollner professor. Previous visitors were NBC producer and former war correspondent Tom Cheatham, who last fall brought the J-School his expertise on war correspondence and the role of the wartime press; and Jonathan Weber, a former business reporter and technology editor at the Los Angeles Times and founding editor of The Industry Standard, who taught a class on globalization and the media in Spring 2002.

The Pollner Committee chose Possley from 10 candidates this year. J-School professor Carol Van Valkenburg, who chairs the committee, said she is pleased with the decision and expects Possley will make an excellent contribution to the Pollner tradition of bringing high-quality working journalists to the J-school.

"It really couldn't have happened without the Pollner family," she said.

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