After 37 years of grit and grace, Patty Montemurri joins Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame

Patricia Montemurri, whose passion for journalism began with larceny on her part and later involved exposing the misdeeds of others, will be inducted Sunday into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.

Montemurri, better known as Patty to the afflicted she comforted and the comfortable she afflicted, was the first to expose Kwame Kilpatrick’s compromised ethics when she and fellow Free Press reporter David Zeman in 2001 revealed how the then-state representative had deployed his considerable clout on behalf of a crooked homeless shelter operator. The payoff was a $50,000 contribution to a nonprofit Kilpatrick used as a slush fund. The feds later disclosed in the prosecution of the homeless shelter operator that Montemurri and Zeman's story was the first step in their long-running federal investigation that in 2013 resulted in Kilpatrick being sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for public corruption.

Long before the feds followed up on Montemurri and Zeman's story, Montemurri had moved on to exposing abusive priests and helping launch a magazine shining a light on women’s concerns and accomplishments.

The kid who used to swipe newspapers off her neighbors’ porches to satisfy her need to know displayed a doggedness, resourcefulness, empathy, intellect and knowledge of both the Catholic Church, in which she was raised, and linguistic skills gleaned from her Italian parents to merit induction into the pantheon of great Michigan journalists.

"I am humbled and honored beyond measure for this recognition," Montemurri said Thursday. "I am lucky to have done work I love and to be supported by the best in the business."

Colleagues, bosses and sources who supported Montemurri's nomination said she was equally adept at features and hard news, writing about topics as diverse as women’s health and Dennis Archer’s successful 1993 campaign to succeed Coleman Young as Detroit mayor. That behind-the-scenes account earned Montemurri a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize.

Her fluency in Italian helped Montemurri interview Grand Prix drivers in Detroit and, years later, sources in Rome while covering Pope John Paul II’s meeting with American cardinals, the pope’s funeral and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

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Montemurri's equanimity could confound newsmakers. After she exposed some questionable conduct by Kilpatrick’s opponent for mayor in 2001, Kilpatrick expressed astonishment at her equal opportunity muckraking. Her insightful and intrepid coverage of the priest sex abuse crisis prompted the Wayne County prosecutor to begin charging predator priests. Nevertheless, high-ranking Catholic officials and parish activists alike praised Montemurri for helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local churches with her coverage of the Mass Mob movement, which lured the faithful and the curious back to some of metro Detroit’s forgotten parishes.

Since retiring from the Free Press in 2015, Montemurri has written five books on metro Detroit Catholic institutions. After 37 years in print journalism, Montemurri worked as an investigative producer at Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV), where she helped uncover conflicts of interest involving a Detroit City councilman and exposed the secrets of candidates for Detroit School Board and Congress that helped voters make informed choices.

Montemurri also was a pioneering reporter at a time when prime beats were dominated by men. She served as an inspiration and mentor for women in the newsroom and challenged bosses on crucial workplace issues like equal opportunity and pay, diversity and fairness. Montemurri was a rabble-rousing union activist, but also a problem solver who helped negotiate contracts both sides could live with.

Reflecting on her mother's legacy, Montemurri's daughter Natalie wrote: “Throughout the years, she has taken the lessons she learned in the field and taught them to me. The mantras ‘Paint a picture with words,’ ‘Never be afraid to ask questions’ and ‘Everyone needs an editor’ will be forever embedded in my mind.”

M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of the ML's Soul of Detroit podcast. Contact him at mlelrick@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick. Support investigative reporting and use this link to invite a friend to become a subscriber. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Patty Montemurri joins Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame