The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project The Marshall Project is an American nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice reporting. Founded in 2014, it produces investigative journalism, long-form reporting, and multimedia projects about United States criminal justice institutions, policy debates, court rulings, incarceration trends, and rights movements. Its work often intersects with coverage of civil liberties, legal reform, public policy, and high-profile trials.

History

The organization was founded in 2014 by Neil Barsky during a period shaped by events such as the Trayvon Martin case, the Michael Brown protests, and ongoing debates following the Supreme Court of the United States decisions on sentencing. Early coverage drew on investigative models used by outlets like ProPublica, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Its reporting emerged amid reform efforts influenced by figures and entities such as Michelle Alexander, Bryan Stevenson, Sentencing Project, American Civil Liberties Union, and legislative actions including the First Step Act. The outlet expanded through collaborations with legacy media including NPR, PBS Frontline, The Guardian (US), and regional papers like The Texas Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Leadership shifts over time reflected networks tied to institutions such as Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Harvard Kennedy School, and philanthropic funders like the MacArthur Foundation and Open Society Foundations.

Mission and Funding

The stated mission emphasizes accountability reporting on criminal justice systems, prisons, prosecutors, police agencies, and courts, engaging stakeholders from United States Department of Justice actors to state-level legislators and advocacy groups. Funding has come from foundations and donors associated with entities such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Knight Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and philanthropists linked to institutions like Newman's Own Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The organization operates under nonprofit journalism models shared by ProPublica and Center for Public Integrity, and navigates grant agreements while maintaining editorial independence asserted in policies comparable to those at Associated Press and Reuters. Its governance includes a board with members from media and legal circles connected to universities such as Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Editorial Work and Coverage

Editorially, the organization produces investigations, explanatory journalism, multimedia storytelling, and podcasts that analyze topics including sentencing disparities, wrongful convictions, policing practices, and reentry programs. Notable reporting themes parallel cases and debates involving individuals and entities like Kalief Browder, Rodney King, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, prosecutors such as Larry Krasner and Kim Foxx, and law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and municipal police departments in cities like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Coverage often references jurisprudence from the United States Supreme Court, appellate decisions, and statutes including civil rights litigation under Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and sentencing reforms connected to the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. The organization has published collaborations with investigative journalists formerly at The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and public radio figures from This American Life and Serial (podcast). Editorial standards cite practices similar to those at Poynter Institute and ethics guidelines reflecting norms from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Impact and Reception

Reporting has led to policy discussions, prosecutorial reviews, and legislative inquiries at federal and state levels including actions by the United States Congress, state legislatures in California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and executive branches such as governors' offices. Coverage has been cited by legal scholars at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and think tanks including the Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and Brennan Center for Justice. The organization has received journalism awards and recognition from bodies like the Pulitzer Prize committees (through collaborators), the George Polk Awards, and the Online Journalism Awards, and its work has prompted responses from advocacy organizations including ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Vera Institute of Justice. Critics and supporters have debated its funding transparency and editorial choices in forums featuring commentators from outlets like Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The New Yorker, and academic critiques from centers at Stanford University and NYU School of Law.

Projects and Partnerships

The organization runs and partners on projects that combine data journalism, legal analysis, and storytelling: databases of incarcerated populations linked to research by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and projects with ProPublica, NPR, Frontline (PBS), The Guardian, The Washington Post, and local newsrooms such as The Marshall Project collaborations with local outlets—(editorial partnerships include cross-publishing models similar to those used by Report for America placements). Multimedia initiatives have included podcasts, documentary features, and data tools utilized by academics at Princeton, Columbia University, and University of Michigan. It has participated in coalitions addressing mass incarceration and police reform alongside Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Equal Justice Initiative, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and policy groups like Right on Crime. International reporting and comparative studies have referenced systems in United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, engaging scholars from institutions such as Oxford University and University of Cambridge.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in New York City