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

Illinois DCFS Agrees to Outside Inquiry at Psychiatric Hospital Where Children Have Reported Abuse

Under mounting pressure, the state child welfare agency agreed to a broad investigation, but the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocates said they will remain vigilant.

Illinois Child Welfare Agency Agrees to Stop Sending Children to Psychiatric Hospital Where Children Reported Abuse but Balks at Full Investigation

The Department of Children and Family Services’ inspector general and the American Civil Liberties Union say a limited investigation doesn’t go far enough.

Reporting on the Layers of Potential Harm for Children in Psychiatric Hospitals

It’s a systemic problem involving the agency charged with caring for those children.

Lawmakers Call for Independent Inquiry at Psychiatric Hospital After ProPublica Illinois Report on Abuse of Children

One legislator said she was “disgusted” by the revelations and said the children “deserve to be safe.”

Chicago Psychiatric Hospital Is Under Fire Over Reports Alleging Abuse of Children

Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital is under federal and state investigation over reports that detail sexual assaults and physical abuse of children, including some who were cleared for release but remained hospitalized because child welfare officials couldn’t find more appropriate homes.

Has the Internet Changed Fact-Checking? Well, It Depends.

The sources haven’t changed much, but accessing them nowadays involves just a few clicks. And no, we don’t use Wikipedia.

Esto es lo que pasó a los 99 niños inmigrantes separados de sus padres y enviados a Chicago

Documentos confidenciales revelan detalles sobre los problemas para encontrar a los padres y las experiencias traumáticas durante la política de tolerancia cero de la administración Trump.

Here’s What Happened to the 99 Immigrant Children Separated From Their Parents and Sent to Chicago

Confidential records reveal details about struggles to find parents and traumatic experiences during the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance crackdown.

Mientras pasan los meses en albergues de Chicago, menores migrantes contemplan fugarse y hasta suicidarse

Documentos internos revelan la desesperación y el tedio en una de las más grandes redes de refugios para menores en la nación.

Did Three Immigrant Teens Run Away From a Chicago Shelter Last Month?

Yes, but you wouldn’t know it if we relied solely on the agency paid to protect thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children in Illinois.

As Months Pass in Chicago Shelters, Immigrant Children Contemplate Escape, Even Suicide

Internal documents reveal despair and tedium in one of the nation’s largest shelter networks for unaccompanied minors.

“Do Something, Please,” Doctors Testify at DCFS Hearing

This week, reporter Duaa Eldeib attended a hearing called after our investigation found hundreds of children in state care who were stuck in psychiatric hospitals — sometimes for months. Here’s the dispatch from our newsletter.

Illinois Lawmakers Search for Solutions for Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals

Witnesses at legislative hearing criticize state child welfare agency, say some teens prefer jail to psychiatric facilities

Informes revelan supervisión “laxa,” actividad sexual en centros de acogida de niños inmigrantes en Chicago

Documentos recientemente obtenidos aportan detalles sobre incidentes preocupantes, incluyendo a menores teniendo relaciones sexuales en una sala de televisión y la huida de dos niñas durante una excursión a un museo.

We’re Writing About Problems at the Immigrant Shelters Housing Children and Teens — in English and Español

“Lax” supervision at Heartland shelters contributed to runaways, sexual activity and alleged inappropriate relationships.

Records Reveal “Lax” Supervision, Sexual Activity at Chicago-Area Shelters Housing Immigrant Children

Newly obtained documents provide details on troubling incidents, including children having sex in a TV room and two girls running away on a museum field trip.

“Ocultos a plena vista”: Cientos de migrantes menores son albergados en una red opaca de refugios en Illinois

Documentos y entrevistas revelan acusaciones de abusos, amenazas y relaciones inapropiadas.

“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.

Follow ProPublica

Latest Stories from ProPublica