The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit nonpartisan online journalism organization focusing on issues related to criminal justice in the United States, led by former hedge fund manager Neil Barsky and former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

The Marshall Project began as an idea of Neil Barsky, a former hedge fund manager, in November 2013. When writing an op-ed in the New York Times, Barsky thought it might be a good opportunity to plug the idea, so he included a brief description of the project and the website URL in his byline.[6][7] Within a few weeks, he was contacted by several criminal justice organizations that offered funding support. 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.[7][8]

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 Magazine).[5][9]

The project officially launched in November 2014.[3][4][9]

Funding

The Marshall Project is funded 100% by donations from foundations and individuals.[10] In July 2014, Capital New York quoted Barsky as saying that the project would have an annual budget of $5 million, the budget was close to half-committed for the first two years, including three major institutional commitments that Barsky declined to specify, plus individual donors including himself.[11] In November 2014, the Huffington Post reported that Barsky was responsible for 20% of the project's funding.[3]

As of May 2015, the founding partners listed on the website include the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, Timothy and Michele Barakett Foundation, Neil Barsky and Joan S. Davidson Foundation, Charles K. Edmondson, Jr. Foundation, Ford Foundation, Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.[10] Other supporters listed on the website include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund, and many more.[10]

Reception

Traction

As of February 2015, the Marshall Project had a staff of 21. 10,000 people were receiving its daily email updates.[5]

Critical reception

Joe Pompeo 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.[7]

The Marshall Project has also been identified as part of a new and experimental nonprofit journalism format.[2][11] It has been compared with ProPublica, the Center for Investigative Reporting, InsideClimate News, and The Texas Tribune[5][11] and also with recent for-profit journalistic experiments such as Vox and FiveThirtyEight.[2]

The Marshall Project has also been praised for its timely launch given current bipartisan interest in criminal justice reform in the United States.[5]

The Marshall Project has 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.[3]

In 2016, The Marshall Project, in partnership with ProPublica, won the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting “for 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.”[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Mission Statement". The Marshall Project. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Ellis, Justin (February 10, 2014). "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.". Nieman Lab. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Calderone, Michael (November 16, 2014). "The Marshall Project Aims Spotlight On 'Abysmal Status' Of Criminal Justice". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Marshall Project Kicks Off With Look at Legal Delays". New York Times. November 16, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Doctor, Ken (February 12, 2015). "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.". Newsonomics. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  6. ↑ Barsky, Neil (November 15, 2013). "Chill Out, 1 Percenters". New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Pompeo, Joe (July 1, 2014). "The Marshall Project's charmed launch". Capital New York. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Somaiya, Ravi (February 9, 2014). "Bill Keller, Former Editor of The Times, Is Leaving for News Nonprofit". New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "The Marshall Project to launch in November". Capital New York. October 23, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Funders". The Marshall Project. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Pompeo, Joe (July 1, 2014). "Journalism's Nonprofit Surge". Capital New York. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ "The 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting". Pulitzer Prize. April 18, 2016.

External links

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