The Marshall Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, has earned the 2021 Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism for its work on The Language Project.
Praised by judges as “provocative,” “outstanding” and “special,” The Language Project encourages media to cover criminal justice issues more fairly and responsibly by enhancing the accuracy of words used to describe people and incarceration. The award will be presented to The Marshall Project on May 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The Language Project was designed to give journalists the incentive and tools to replace common descriptors such as “inmates,” “felons” and “offenders” with “people first” alternatives such as “incarcerated people,” “people convicted of felonies” and “people charged with sex offenses.”
For example, the word “inmate” is regularly applied to anyone held in a correctional facility. The Language Project pointed out that 74% of people in U.S. jails have not been convicted of a crime. So, calling someone in jail an “inmate” in an article consigns them to a criminal identity, even if they are innocent. And that article will likely be the first result in an internet search of that person’s name.
“This project is a hard sell for some. Any style rule that requires journalists to use additional words could be perceived as a burden,” said Susan Chira, editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project. “Also, traditional police and crime reporters tend to shy away from anything that suggests they are sugar-coating crime or humanizing criminals out of respect for victims and survivors. Chira added, “Ultimately, The Language Project advocates for an incontrovertible fact — that people in prison or jail are people. Journalism is a discipline of clarity. If we fall back on labels, we are not doing our best work.”
The Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism, presented annually by The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State, is intended to recognize constructively critical articles, books, and electronic and online media reports; academic and other research; and reports by media ombudsmen and journalism watchdog groups.
Faculty screeners from the Bellisario College reviewed entries for the respected national award and forwarded finalists to external judges. Those judges — Andrew Alexander, a previous ombudsman for The Washington Post and visiting professor of journalism at Ohio University; Sam Fulwood, dean of the school of Communication at American University; and Terry Mutchler, an attorney focused on transparency and public data at Philadelphia-based Obermayer — were unanimous in their selection of The Language Project.
“We had endless discussions in newsrooms about accuracy and words during my career, and this project feels like another step in the direction for improved accuracy. It marks a change for some journalists,” said Alexander, who served as Washington bureau chief for Cox Newspapers for 32 years.
“I thought The Marshall Project was outstanding from start to finish,” Fullwood said. “Their work was effective, and it makes you pay attention. It really makes you think about the implications of what we’re doing in terms of the impact of journalism on the criminal justice system.”
“This was kind of above and beyond a winner for me. I’ve judged awards before and I really think what they’ve done here is special,” said Mutchler, who was the founding director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records. “For me, it went beyond winning an award. It prompted a deep, visceral reaction.”