I enjoyed writing, and I wanted a job where I wouldn't be tied to a desk. And I wanted a job where I could do some good. After getting his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Medill School of Journalism, Washburn went to Chicago's famed City News Bureau, a local wire service. When Washburn returned, he went back to City News and a year later joined the Tribune , where he covered real estate and transportation before moving to the City Hall beat in 1996. The pressroom in City Hall should be the subject of a federal health investigation.
Ancient desks crowd the room.
Old coffee cups and soda cans are everywhere. There are stains on the walls that could be carbon-dated. Yellowing newspapers are stacked in corners with no apparent purpose other than to take up space and collect dust. There is remodeling going on all around City Hall, but no one is touching the pressroom. But there are certain routines.