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Who We Are

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering America’s criminal justice system. We have won two Pulitzer Prizes: in 2021 for national reporting and in 2016 for explanatory journalism; we were also a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting. We are not advocates—we follow the facts and we do not pander to any audience—but we have a declared mission: to create and sustain a sense of urgency about the criminal justice system. We do not generally cover breaking news (although we curate the reporting of other news outlets in our morning newsletter). Our work includes investigative and explanatory projects and shorter pieces aimed at highlighting stories that other news organizations miss, underestimate or misunderstand. To assure our work reaches a larger audience we partner or co-publish with other media outlets on almost all of our work; we have partnered with more than 100 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and online sites.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, ethnicities, physical abilities, genders and sexual orientations, including people who have been incarcerated or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Marshall Project’s Inside Story team seeks an ambitious research intern to lead our second survey of incarcerated people in summer 2023.

In 2020, The Marshall Project designed and launched our first-ever ethnographic survey of incarcerated people. We hoped to learn about their experiences and their needs.

Over the course of five months, the team identified and approached eight ambassadors who were incarcerated. They then worked together to design the survey questions and asked 10 people in their facility to be interviewed.

  • Design and oversee execution of an updated ethnographic study of incarcerated people, working in partnership with Inside Story leadership

  • Identify and manage relationships with incarcerated partners

  • Analyze and synthesize results of the survey

  • Present research findings as audience personas for TMP leadership

  • May also support additional day-to-day operations of Inside Story and News Inside

Who You’d Be Working With

The Inside Story and News Inside team are excited to welcome a research intern to help run the next iteration of our survey of our incarcerated audience.

Our team is led by Lawrence Barley, publisher of The Marshall Project Inside. He is supported by Tammy Galarza, Martin Garcia, Donald Washington, Jr. and Louis Fields.

Job Requirements

  • Experience with ethnographic research, either as a principal investigator or a supporting role

-OR-

  • Similar and equivalent experience with audience research

  • Strong people and communication skills

  • Excellent ability to meet deadlines, set priorities and communicate project updates with stakeholders

  • Strength in analyzing survey results and synthesizing information

  • Proficiency in basic office and computer applications and project management tools

We do not expect every candidate to be equally skilled in all of these areas, and this is not a fully inclusive list of all relevant qualifications and skills applicants may bring to the role. Please describe your other assets not mentioned here that may be valuable for this job. Reaching talent across a range of backgrounds and experiences is deeply important to us. If you do not have the exact combination of skills and experience listed here, but are still interested in The Marshall Project, we’d love to hear from you.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time position set at $15 an hour.

This position begins on June 5, 2023 and ends August 10, 2023.

We provide: 100% employer-paid medical, employer subsidized vision and dental insurance; matching traditional and Roth 401k (immediate vesting). Voluntary benefits include: Health and Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, pet insurance, short and long term disability insurance, employee and dependent life insurance, AFLAC accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness coverage, legal benefits, personal excess liability insurance, and employee discount marketplace. We also observe 17 days of paid time off each year (in addition to office closure between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2), and provide paid parental leave.

How to apply

To apply, please use this form to send a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter please include responses to the following:

  • Tell us about your experience managing ethnographic research projects

  • Describe your experience analyzing and synthesizing survey results

If a candidate has been impacted personally by the justice system, we encourage you to apply. This experience is NOT a requirement.

Due to the expected volume of applications, we will follow up directly with the most promising candidates. We are not able to respond individually to all applicants. Please know it usually takes more than a month for our team to review applications

All are welcome and encouraged to apply.