Sweeney briefed National Press Foundation fellows in November 2021: Better Coverage of Criminal Justice.

Anne Sweeney is on the Criminal Justice team at the Chicago Tribune, where she covers just about anything related to criminal justice policy and violence, typically from the perspective of the community. Her recent work, in addition to breaking news, has included exploring the fallout of the criticized Stash House stings used by the federal government and tracing the path of one gun that was stolen in Superior, Wisc. and brought to Chicago, where it was used in dozens of shootings. In the wake of a mass shooting here in Illinois, she was part of a team that investigated the backlog of revoked gun card holders. She has also written about the incarceration of women, including efforts to reduce the prison population.

Sweeney previously worked at the Sun-Times and am a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Trinity College-Dublin. She grew up and continue to live in Chicago.