the Marshall Project
{{Short description|US nonprofit journalism organization}}
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{{Primary sources|date=September 2023}}
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{{Infobox website
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| url = {{URL|https://www.themarshallproject.org}}
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| registration = Non-profit
| language = English
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| president = Katrice Hardy
| author = Neil Barsky
| editor = Bill Keller (2014–2019)
Susan Chira (2019–2025)
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2014|11|df=no}}
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The Marshall Project is an American nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system.{{Cite web |title=The Marshall Project |url=https://awards.journalists.org/entries/the-marshall-project/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Online Journalism Awards |language=en-US}} The organization's mission is to impact the system through journalism, and states that its goal is to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about inequities within the U.S. criminal justice system.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/about |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=The Marshall Project |language=en}} The organization is the youngest to win a Pulitzer (two years after it was founded), and it has won the Pulitzer twice.{{Cite web |title=T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/t-christian-miller-propublica-and-ken-armstrong-marshall-project |access-date=2021-08-09 |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Marshall Project |website=MacArthur Foundation |url=https://macfound-redesign-live.cphostaccess.com/grantee/marshall-project-46069 |access-date=2025-05-25}}{{Cite web |title=Staffs of The Marshall Project; AL.com, Birmingham; IndyStar, Indianapolis; and the Invisible Institute, Chicago |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staffs-marshall-project-alcom-birmingham-indystar-indianapolis-and-invisible-institute |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |language=en}} The organization is named after Thurgood Marshall.{{cite web |title=Why The 'Marshall' Project? |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/about/thurgood-marshall |access-date=September 16, 2017 |website=The Marshall Project}}
History
The project was founded by former hedge fund manager and prison abolitionist Neil Barsky with former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller as its first editor-in-chief.{{cite web |title=Mission Statement |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/about |access-date=May 8, 2015 |publisher=The Marshall Project}}{{cite web |last=Ellis |first=Justin |date=February 10, 2014 |title=Bill Keller, The Marshall Project, and making single-focus nonprofit news sites work. The former New York Times executive editor explains why he's jumping to a nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice issues. |url=http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/02/bill-keller-the-marshall-project-and-making-single-focus-nonprofit-news-sites-work/ |access-date=May 7, 2015 |publisher=Nieman Lab}}{{cite web |last=Calderone |first=Michael |date=November 16, 2014 |title=The Marshall Project Aims Spotlight On 'Abysmal Status' Of Criminal Justice |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/16/the-marshall-project-barsky-keller_n_6163504.html |access-date=May 7, 2015 |work=The Huffington Post}}{{cite web |date=November 16, 2014 |title=Marshall Project Kicks Off With Look at Legal Delays |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/business/media/marshall-project-kicks-off-with-look-at-legal-delays.html |access-date=May 7, 2015 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite web |last=Doctor |first=Ken |date=February 12, 2015 |title=Newsonomics: Bill Keller's Marshall Project finds its legs covering criminal justice. The Marshall Project is trying to get beyond the narrow newsroom focus on "cops and courts" and tackle the bigger systemic issues. |url=http://newsonomics.com/newsonomics-bill-kellers-marshall-project-finds-its-legs/ |access-date=May 7, 2015 |work=Newsonomics}} The organization's name honors Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP's civil rights activist and attorney whose arguments won the landmark U.S. Supreme Court school desegregation case, Brown vs. Board of Education, who later became the first African-American justice of that Court.
The Marshall Project began as an idea of Barsky in November 2013. When writing an op-ed in The New York Times, Barsky mentioned the idea by including a brief description of the project and the website URL in his byline.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/opinion/sunday/chill-out-1-percenters.html|title = Chill Out, 1 Percenters|last = Barsky|first = Neil|date = November 15, 2013|access-date = May 8, 2015|work=The New York Times}}{{cite web|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/magazine/2014/07/8548087/marshall-projects-charmed-launch|title = The Marshall Project's charmed launch|last = Pompeo|first = Joe|date = July 1, 2014|access-date = May 7, 2015 |work=Capital New York}} In February 2014, The New York Times reported that Bill Keller, who had been executive editor at The New York Times from July 2003 to September 2011, was going to work for the Marshall Project.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/business/media/bill-keller-former-editor-of-the-times-is-leaving-for-news-nonprofit.html |title = Bill Keller, Former Editor of The Times, Is Leaving for News Nonprofit|last = Somaiya|first = Ravi|date = February 9, 2014|access-date = May 8, 2015|work=The New York Times}} Barsky continued to work for The Marshall Project for seven years, and announced in October of 2021 that he would step down as chairman of the organization.{{cite web |last1=Grynbaum |first1=Michael M. |title=Marshall Project Founder Neil Barsky Is Stepping Down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/business/media/marshall-project-neil-barsky.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714133814/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/business/media/marshall-project-neil-barsky.html |archive-date=14 July 2022 |date=7 October 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Edmonds |first1=Rick |title=Mission accomplished at the Marshall Project? Why founder Neil Barsky is moving on after 7 years |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2021/mission-accomplished-at-the-marshall-project-why-founder-neil-barsky-is-moving-on-after-7-years/ |website=Poynter |publisher=Poynter Institute for Media Studies |access-date=22 September 2023 |date=7 December 2021}}
The Marshall Project publishes journalistic and opinion pieces on its own website, and also collaborates with news organizations and magazines to publish investigations. Its first two investigations were published in August 2014 (on its own website and in The Washington Post together) and in October 2014 (on its own website and in Slate).{{cite web|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/10/8555216/marshall-project-launch-november|title = The Marshall Project to launch in November|date = October 23, 2014|access-date = May 7, 2015|work = Capital New York}} It also publishes a weekly feature called "Life Inside," where people who work or live in the criminal justice system tell their stories in first-person essays.{{Cite web|url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/tag/life-inside|title=Life Inside|website=The Marshall Project|access-date=Jul 18, 2019}} Until October 2018, Life Inside was co-published with VICE.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/tag/life-inside/|title=Life Inside|website=Vice|date=28 September 2018 |access-date=Jul 18, 2019}}
The project officially launched in November 2014. Its first editor-in-chief was former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller. The outlet's reporting in its first five years garnered it a Pulitzer Prize and other journalism awards, with reporting focused on various issues, including prison abuse and rape, privatized prisons, and the treatment of incarcerated youth and mentally ill people.Zainab Sultan, [https://www.cjr.org/q_and_a/exit-interview-bill-keller-marshall-project.php Exit Interview: Bill Keller on his time at The Marshall Project], Columbia Journalism Review (April 1, 2019). Keller retired in 2019 and was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Susan Chira.[https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/11/01/bill-keller-to-retire-from-the-marshall-project Bill Keller to retire from The Marshall Project], The Marshall Project (November 1, 2018).
On February 29, 2024, The Marshall Project newsroom staff announced publicly that it was unionizing under the NewsGuild of New York.{{Cite news |last=Bellware |first=Kim |date=2024-02-29 |title=The Marshall Project, Pulitzer-winning nonprofit newsroom, to unionize |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/02/29/marshall-project-newsroom-unionizing/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}
In January 2025, Susan Chira stepped down from the role of editor-in-chief.{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2024 |title=Susan Chira to Step Down as The Marshall Project's Editor-in-Chief in January |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/05/16/susan-chira-eic-step-down |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129214820/https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/05/16/susan-chira-eic-step-down |archive-date=January 29, 2025 |access-date=January 29, 2025 |website=The Marshall Project}} The Marshall Project announced that Katrice Hardy will lead both the newsroom and business operations as CEO, alongside acting editor-in-chief Geraldine Sealey.{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2025 |title=Katrice Hardy Named CEO of The Marshall Project |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/28/katrice-hardy-ceo-announcement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129221518/https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/28/katrice-hardy-ceo-announcement |archive-date=January 29, 2025 |access-date=January 29, 2025 |website=The Marshall Project}} Carroll Bogert also stepped down from the role of president in February 2025;{{Cite web |last=Project |first=The Marshall |date=2025-02-25 |title=Carroll Bogert Steps Down as President of The Marshall Project |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/02/25/carroll-bogert-steps-down-as-president-of-the-marshall-project |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=The Marshall Project |language=en}} she had taken up said role in 2016.{{Cite web |last=Project |first=The Marshall |date=2016-02-23 |title=Carroll Bogert Named President of the Marshall Project |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/02/23/carroll-bogert-named-president-of-the-marshall-project |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Marshall Project |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Juka |first=Iva |title=In Assumption College talk, Marshall Project president puts spotlight on criminal justice system |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/education/campus/2020/01/23/in-assumption-college-talk-marshall-project-president-puts-spotlight-on-criminal-justice-system/1838234007/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}
Organization and funding
As of January 2025, The Marshall Project had a staff of 82, five of whom are formerly incarcerated.{{Cite web |last=Project |first=The Marshall |date=2025-01-10 |title=Our 2024 Annual Report on the Diversity of Our Staff and Highlights From Our Strategy. |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/10/the-marshall-project-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-2024 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=The Marshall Project |language=en}}
The Marshall Project is funded by donations and grants from foundations and individuals.{{cite web|url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/funders|title=Funders|publisher=The Marshall Project|access-date=May 8, 2015}}
Critical reception
Joe Pompeo, a journalist at Capital magazine, wrote of The Marshall Project that it had had a great start due to a mix of good initial publicity and association with high-profile names.{{Cite web |last=Sterne |first=Peter |date=2014-10-23 |title=The Marshall Project to launch in November |url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2014/10/the-marshall-project-to-launch-in-november-003008/ |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=POLITICO Media |language=en}}
The Marshall Project has also been identified as part of a new and experimental non-profit journalism format.{{cite web |url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/magazine/2014/07/8548086/journalism%E2%80%99s-nonprofit-surge |title = Journalism's Nonprofit Surge |last = Pompeo |first = Joe |date = July 1, 2014 |access-date = May 8, 2015 |work = Capital New York}} It has been compared with the non-profit ProPublica, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Inside Climate News, and The Texas Tribune, and also with recent for-profit journalistic experiments such as Vox and FiveThirtyEight.
The Marshall Project has also been compared with the Innocence Project, but distinguishes itself because its focus is not merely on innocent people ensnared by the criminal justice system but also on guilty people whose rights to due process, fair trial, and proportionate punishment are violated, and is considered an advocacy group by some.{{Cite book |last1=Novalis |first1=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HDuVEAAAQBAJ&pg=PR21 |title=Psychotherapy in Corrections: A Supportive Approach |last2=DNP |first2=Virginia Singer |last3=M.A |first3=Carol M. Novalis |date=2022-09-13 |publisher=American Psychiatric Pub |isbn=978-1-61537-332-1 |language=en |quote="we have adopted the practice of the advocacy group The Marshall Project of continuing to use the word prisoner but attempting to eliminate the term inmate (Solomon 2021)"}}
=Awards and honors=
In 2016, The Marshall Project and partner ProPublica won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" described as "a startling examination and exposé of law enforcement's enduring failures to investigate reports of rape properly and to comprehend the traumatic effects on its victims".{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/t-christian-miller-propublica-and-ken-armstrong-marshall-project|title = The 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting|date=April 18, 2016|publisher =Pulitzer Prize}} In 2019, this piece was adapted into the Netflix series Unbelievable.{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/netflix-unveils-trailer-for-unbelievable-a-limited-ser-1836491788|title=Netflix unveils trailer for Unbelievable, a limited series based on Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting|last1=Colburn|first1=Randall|work=The A.V. Club|date=July 18, 2019|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103041724/https://news.avclub.com/netflix-unveils-trailer-for-unbelievable-a-limited-ser-1836491788|url-status=live}}
Also in 2017, it was named as a collaborator (alongside ProPublica) when This American Life won a Peabody Award for "Anatomy of Doubt".{{Cite news|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/this-american-life-anatomy-of-doubt|title=This American Life: Anatomy of Doubt|access-date=2017-05-14|language=en}}
In 2018, The Marshall Project was awarded a national Edward R. Murrow Award for "Overall Excellence" for a small digital newsroom.{{Cite web|url=https://rtdna.org/article/rtdna_announces_2018_national_edward_r_murrow_award_winners|title=RTDNA Announces 2018 National Edward R. Murrow Awards|website=rtdna.org|access-date=Jul 18, 2019|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214930/https://rtdna.org/article/rtdna_announces_2018_national_edward_r_murrow_award_winners}} It also won the award for General Excellence in Online Journalism from Online News Association.{{Cite web|url=https://awards.journalists.org/winners/2018/|title=2018 Online Journalism Awards Finalists|access-date=Jul 18, 2019}} Its 2017 documentary series "We Are Witnesses"{{Cite news|url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/witnesses|title=We are Witnesses|work=The Marshall Project|access-date=2018-10-25}} was nominated for the 39th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Award.{{Cite web|url=http://cdn.emmyonline.org/news_39th_nominations_v03.pdf|title=NOMINEES FOR THE 39th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED|access-date=2018-10-25|archive-date=2018-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916164000/http://cdn.emmyonline.org/news_39th_nominations_v03.pdf}} Its 2019 installment of the "We Are Witnesses" series was nominated for the 41st Annual News & Documentary Emmy Award for "Outstanding New Approaches" in the documentary category.{{Cite web|title=NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 41ST ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS – The Emmys|url=https://theemmys.tv/news-41st-nominations/|access-date=2020-08-09|website=theemmys.tv|date=6 August 2020 |language=en-US}}
The Marshall Project was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting in 2021 for a yearlong investigation into injuries caused by police dog bites. The prize was shared with AL.com, IndyStar, and the Invisible Institute.{{Cite web|title=Abbie VanSickle '11 Key Part of Team Awarded Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting|url=https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/abbie-vansickle-11-key-part-of-team-awarded-pulitzer-prize-in-national-reporting/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Berkeley Law|date=11 June 2021 |language=en-US}}
See also
References
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External links
- {{official website|themarshallproject.org}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall Project}}
Category:2014 establishments in the United States
Category:American news websites