Engaged Journalism Exchange: Reimagining Crime Coverage

Across the U.S., newsrooms have been taking a critical look at crime coverage. Some have implemented policies to stop using mugshots, or to rethink how they engage with police sources. But what would it look like to completely reimagine the crime beat?

In this Engaged Journalism Exchange discussion, we discussed the case for doing just that with the Shift the Narrative coalition, including Tauhid Chappell from Free Press/Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and Malav Kanuga of the Media, Inequality, and Change Center and the Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center. The Shift the Narrative coalition brings organizers, media makers, and scholars together to address how narratives, storytelling and journalism around police and the criminal legal system directly impact how the public discusses issues like defunding the police, public safety, and abolition.

During the discussion, coalition representatives explained what it means to take an abolitionist orientation in their work pushing for a just media system. They raised big questions like, what role does the media play in upholding the particular form of freedom and penal democracy to which people are asked to consent? And what other forms of media and democracy are possible? At the same time, they grounded the conversation in the practical considerations that newsrooms face, grappling with conflicting demands and expectations from community members and resource challenges, as they attempt to rework the traditional crime and justice beat.

About Engaged Journalism Exchange

The Engaged Journalism Exchange connects researchers and practitioners interested in engaged journalism. We will be hosting a series of these discussions in the lead up to our AEJMC preconference on August 3rd. We will share updates to those who RSVP. Check out past discussions here: