Pumpkins, pensions, and the CTU's 'cooked' books
<p>Is criticism a crime?</p><p>As fond as I am of teachers, generally, and despite being a good union man myself, I couldn't help but shake my head in wonder at the Chicago Teachers Union, which I consider a fairly savvy organization,<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/08/17/chicago-teachers-union-illinois-policy-institute-defamation-lawsuit-stacy-davis-gates" > suing a pair of conservative watchdogs,</a> the Illinois Policy Institute and the Liberty Justice Center, for sinking their teeth into CTU finances and accusing the union of using "cooked" books.</p><p>First, way to turn a spotlight on their accusations. Believe it or not, I'm not checking the <a class="Link" href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-grows-enough-pumpkins-for-8b-pumpkin-spice-lattes/" target="_blank" >Illinois Policy Institute website</a> every morning to see what's in their crosshairs.
Reported by 2 outlets — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>Is criticism a crime?</p><p>As fond as I am of teachers, generally, and despite being a good union man myself, I couldn't help but shake my head in wonder at the Chicago Teachers Union, which I consider a fairly savvy organization,<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/08/17/chicago-teachers-union-illinois-policy-institute-defamation-lawsuit-stacy-davis-gates" > suing a pair of conservative watchdogs,</a> the Illinois Policy Institute and the Liberty Justice Center, for sinking their teeth into CTU finances and accusing the union of using "cooked" books.</p><p>First, way to turn a spotlight on their accusations. Believe it or not, I'm not checking the <a class="Link" href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-grows-enough-pumpkins-for-8b-pumpkin-spice-lattes/" target="_blank" >Illinois Policy Institute website</a> every morning to see what's in their crosshairs. Doing that, right now, I see their top story is on... "The state produces enough pumpkins to make nearly 8 billion pumpkin spice lattes, the most pumpkins in the U.S." At first I thought it must be a mistake — the colorful, pumpkin-centric page labeled "Illinois Policy" must be different from "Illinois Policy Institute."</p><p>Nope.
Read the full report at Chicago Sun-Times ↗
Why it matters
2 outlets are covering this world story — one to watch as reporting develops.
- What's the story?
- <p>Is criticism a crime?</p><p>As fond as I am of teachers, generally, and despite being a good union man myself, I couldn't help but shake my head in wonder at the Chicago Teachers Union, which I consider a fairly savvy organization,<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/08/17/chicago-teachers-union-illinois-policy-institute-defamation-lawsuit-stacy-davis-gates" > suing a pair of conservative watchdogs,</a> the Illinois Policy Institute and the Liberty Justice Center, for sinking their teeth into CTU finances and accusing the union of using "cooked" books.</p><p>First, way to turn a spotlight on their accusations. Believe it or not, I'm not checking the <a class="Link" href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-grows-enough-pumpkins-for-8b-pumpkin-spice-lattes/" target="_blank" >Illinois Policy Institute website</a> every morning to see what's in their crosshairs.
- How widely is it covered?
- 2 outlets, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 2m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
Pumpkins, pensions, and the CTU's 'cooked' books
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times