Felony Murder Reporting Project

About This Project

Summary

The Felony Murder Reporting Project is an independent, interactive digital story hub and data journalism project on a law--unique in the US--allowing people to be convicted of intentional murder when everyone agrees they didn't intend to kill. The project accompanied a deeply reported investigation published in the New Yorker. This project has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in investigative journalism: independent journalism paired with interactive storytelling & data gathering.

Goals & Objectives

The goal: To spur more informed national and local reporting on the issue; to encourage more robust data-gathering and analysis on its diverse impacts; and to contribute to the general public’s awareness of the legal doctrine.

Results & Impact

Over two years, the project unearthed and analyzed more than 10k previously unreported cases of felony murder. In 18 states, the project collected data complete enough to analyze for the very first time. The project's findings were foundational to a 2024 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting win.