The Marshall Project’s advertising policy and guidelines
As an independent, nonprofit news organization, The Marshall Project accepts advertising and sponsorships that meet our ethical standards and help sustain our mission-driven work: high-impact journalism on the U.S. criminal justice system and intersecting areas, such as healthcare, education and the economy. However, we maintain a strict and transparent separation between editorial content and paid messaging. Our editorial independence is paramount.
Our policy will adapt as advertising standards and platforms develop. But no matter what, The Marshall Project is committed to transparency, accountability, and the integrity of our journalism. All advertising will continue to be evaluated in that spirit.
Core Principles
- Advertising and sponsorship content does not reflect the views of The Marshall Project or its staff.
- We will decline or remove any advertisement or sponsorship that, in our judgment, compromises our values, misleads our readers, or could harm our reputation.
- Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
Advertising Standards
We do not accept advertising that contains:
- False, misleading, libelous, or exploitative content
- Headlines or subject lines that mischaracterize the content or invite users to take an action conditioned on a donation or purchase without disclosing that condition
- Hate speech, racism, or discriminatory messaging
- Explicit violence or graphic imagery
- Political messaging
- Content promoting firearms, pornography, tobacco, recreational drugs and products making false claims.
- Mimicry of journalistic content (e.g., deceptive use of "Breaking News")
We do not accept advertising from any entity that could compromise The Marshall Project’s stellar journalistic credibility and will end an advertising relationship if this circumstance arises.
These guidelines are amended at The Marshall Project’s discretion as standards and formats evolve, to ensure a clear delineation between paid messages and editorial content. These guidelines apply to all platforms with The Marshall Project.
Advertising Platforms
Advertising placements may appear on:
- The Marshall Project’s News Inside magazine
- Newsletters
- Typeface and design cannot mirror those used in The Marshall Project’s News Inside Magazine. Creative design will have “Advertisement” printed in the top folio of the page to ensure it is not mistaken for editorial content. Advertorials/native ads are covered by the ASME editorial guidelines.
- The Marshall Project has an all-digital workflow. For assistance, confirmation of deadlines, or specifications, please connect with your contact at The Marshall Project.
Newsletters
- To advertise in The Marshall Project’s newsletters, contact Ebony Reed at ereed@themarshallproject.org