FAQ: How The Marshall Project Is Covering the 2024 Election

Crime and criminal justice are once again common themes in this year’s presidential campaigns, leaving voters to sort through misinformation and misleading claims. We know it can be challenging for anyone to sift through the election noise to find what’s true.

Throughout this political season, The Marshall Project is focused on providing readers and viewers like you with accurate, timely context and analysis about relevant criminal justice and immigration stories, from the presidential level to some state and local races and ballot initiatives.

Here’s more about who are and how we’re covering the 2024 election:

What is The Marshall Project?

We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. We have an impact on the system through journalism, rendering it more fair, effective, transparent and humane.

Since our founding in 2014, our reporting has spurred new legislation, prompted official investigations, improved conditions in specific prisons and jails, gotten people out of detention and been cited by everyone from Supreme Court justices to jailhouse lawyers.

Criminal justice is primarily a local issue, governed by state and local laws that are enforced by local authorities. That’s why we are building news teams that cover local criminal justice issues for local audiences, including in Cleveland, Ohio, and Jackson, Mississippi.

What should I expect from The Marshall Project’s election coverage?

Political campaigns often feature misleading claims and debates about crime, criminal justice and immigration. Through our deeply researched stories on key criminal justice topics, we’ll provide important context and history to help you assess what the candidates are saying and what their records show. We’ll publish clear, accessible explanations of complex topics that arise this year.

And we’ll explore how crime and criminal justice weigh on the minds of voters. This will include our landmark survey of the political views of people behind bars, who are more politically diverse as a group than many might think.

How do you choose stories to report on?

We tend to choose stories that are not being covered robustly by other news organizations — or we identify angles of a high-profile story that have yet to be explored. When it comes to a story as big and sprawling as a presidential campaign, every U.S. news outlet is covering it in some way. We’ll zero in on the most important criminal justice and immigration issues in the campaign to help you make informed decisions as voters, citizens and community members.

What aren’t you going to cover?

Our main focus is criminal justice reporting, so we won’t cover the general ups and downs of each candidate — aka “horse race” coverage — and we won’t write about other policies or issues. You'll rarely find us covering breaking news. We know fast-paced political news cycles can be overwhelming — we hope to earn your attention with thoughtful, bigger-picture stories.

We can’t cover every single story or angle that touches on criminal justice or immigration and the election. We'll keep in mind what people wonder or need to know as our journalists uncover facts through original reporting, analyzing data and more.

How do you ensure that your journalism is not biased?

The Marshall Project is a journalism outlet, not an advocacy organization. We don’t promote or endorse any political parties or candidates, policies or opinions, and we don’t approach any issue with an outcome in mind. We talk to sources who have a range of beliefs and positions, and our reporters follow the facts where they lead.

We aim to produce journalism that is accurate in its facts, fair in its interpretation and presentation and independent in its judgments — in a word, trustworthy. Read our Code of Ethics.

Why aren’t you calling Donald Trump a “felon”?

We don’t use words such as “felon” to describe anyone, including former President Trump. Here’s why: We aim to be as clear as possible, and fair to the people we cover. Phrases such as “felon” or “inmate” may be commonly used in other news stories, but they are not neutral descriptors. Many people who have been convicted of crimes or have served time in prison experience these terms as demeaning and degrading. And such labels can have lasting, damaging effects, following people around for life, often long after they complete their sentences.

Years ago, we developed a policy based on the principle of “people-first” language; this approach avoids turning one aspect of a person’s life into an all-encompassing label. Our policy is not an attempt to exonerate anyone or minimize victims’ experiences. It is designed to promote precision and accuracy and to convey the humanity of people who are routinely dehumanized by the media and society. Read more in our “Language Project” from 2021.

How can I find your election coverage?

You can view our site’s election page or receive stories by subscribing to our free newsletters and by following us on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook. We routinely co-publish our work with local and national news outlets across the country, so you’ll find us in their newsprint, TV and radio shows and websites.

How do you get news to people behind bars?

Our award-winning print publication News Inside circulates free of charge in more than 1,000 prisons and jails across the United States. Our video series Inside Story — written, directed and produced by formerly incarcerated staff of The Marshall Project — examines the realities of the U.S. criminal justice system and has been viewed by more than a million people in prisons and jails.

Who funds The Marshall Project?

We depend on many partners to support our work, including these generous donors, as well as many members whose contributions make us stronger. If you believe in what we do, here’s how to donate.

How can I send you a story idea or news tip?

Here’s how to reach us for general inquiries, to contact a specific staff member or to send a story idea.