CHICAGO — "If it bleeds, it leads" on television during the May sweeps, and what place is bloodier than Chicago right now?
CBS' "48 Hours" will a air a special titled "The War in Chicago" at 9 p.m. Saturday on CBS2. Using the murder of Hadiya Pendleton as an entryway, the hourlong newsmagazine focuses on gangs and drug warfare as the main causes for the rise in the city's murders.
Reportedly six months in the making, the report examines the efforts of Nate and Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton to address the issue after their daughter's death last year.
As reported by CBS' Armen Keteyian and Maureen Maher, it has breathless elements typical of an "if it bleeds, it leads" May sweeps special. Citing the Drug Enforcement Administration's Chicago head Jack Riley, who estimates there are 70,000 gang members in the city.
It also looks at how suburban addicts drive the drug trade.
The show also focuses on David Muhammad, a retired Chicago Transit Authority mechanic who has already attracted media attention for his efforts to tape drug deals in North Lawndale.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who has recently trumpeted a decline in murders, is quoted as saying, "We're getting progress, not victory."
Spokespersons for McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not respond to requests for comment on the episode.
CNN is also reportedly working on a piece on Chicago's efforts to stem gun violence.
