The Marshall Project has been recognized with two National Headliner Awards for its outstanding work in investigative and digital journalism, further reinforcing the newsroom’s role as a leading voice in criminal justice reporting.
“We’re honored and proud of this work,” said Geraldine Sealey, acting Editor-in-Chief. “These projects show how our talented staff produces engaging, impactful journalism at the highest level on a range of platforms.”
The Marshall Project received first place in the Social Media category for a series of posts exploring the death penalty. The package included two videos on YouTube Shorts by Chris Vazquez and Maurice Chammah about states’ changes to execution methods and the impact of celebrity advocacy featuring former reporting colleague Keri Blakinger; two carousel posts on Instagram by Kristin Bausch with Chammah’s reporting about Ramiro Gonzales’ parting interview and autism and the system; and one Reddit Ask Me Anything by Chammah, produced by Ashley Dye.
The judges wrote about this work: “The team did an admirable job of finding threads from their deep reporting that would have emotional resonance on social media. The work felt native to each platform and was compelling enough to drive people to the more extensive work that was part of the project.”
The Marshall Project also earned first place in the Radio Stations News Series category with our partners: St. Louis Public Radio and APM Reports for “Unsolved.” The multi-part series investigated the high number of unsolved homicides in St. Louis and examined the systemic breakdowns in local law enforcement. Judges commended the team’s legal efforts to secure public records and its commitment to community-centered storytelling that has spurred local dialogue and accountability.
The judges also noted how extensively well-reported and researched the journalism was in detailing why many murders go unsolved in St. Louis. “The scope of coverage addresses racial divides as well as law enforcement staffing issues, with action taken by the producing team to legally challenge for the release of police records that shed light on faults prompting significant push for change,” the judges wrote.
Staffers who worked on the project included Alysia Santo, Katie Park and Anna Flagg of The Marshall Project, Rachel Lippmann and Brian Munoz from St. Louis Public Radio, and Tom Scheck and Jennifer Lu from APM Reports.
These honors, presented by the National Headliner Awards — one of the oldest and most respected journalism competitions in the U.S. — recognize journalistic excellence across platforms. This year’s recognition highlights The Marshall Project’s innovative reporting and growing impact, particularly as it expands its local journalism footprint, including the recent launch of its Missouri newsroom.
See a list of all of this year’s winners for the National Headliner Awards.
To learn more about The Marshall Project and its award-winning journalism, visit www.themarshallproject.org.