April 17, 2024 — Prison Journalism Project (PJP), a national initiative that trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their stories, today announced the launch of a “Prison Writer’s Guide to Media Writing,” a first-of-its-kind handbook and certificate program designed to educate prison writers about journalism, with expert insights, guided coursework and a reporting style guide.
The handbook is unique in that it offers university-level journalism instruction tailored for student reporters with limited access to reporting tools in often high-risk environments where they can face reprisal for publishing their work. It takes careful consideration of the emotional and legal safety of incarcerated writers and includes a risk assessment quiz to help writers understand their own capacity for risk. Writers using the handbook will be able to send in their completed assignments for feedback and receive PJP J-School certificates. This is the latest initiative in support of PJP’s goal to create a pipeline of prison journalists who can tell credible and impactful stories regardless of their experience or educational background.
“There are nearly 2 million people behind bars in the United States, and nearly half of this country has a family member who is or has been incarcerated, and yet there are too few stories that shed light from inside prisons. PJP’s guide will provide comprehensive training, so writers on the inside can get their stories published and reach a broader audience,” said Yukari Kane, founder and CEO of PJP. “We believe this training will provide writers with a strong foundation and bring more opportunities to prison journalists.”
PJP has sent out invitations to 200 of its most active writers to join the inaugural cohort of students this spring. In addition, it is partnering with education and media organizations, so they can teach courses using the handbook or support their own cohort of incarcerated writers. Initial partners include The Marshall Project, Open Campus, PEN America, Northwestern Prison Education Program, Empowerment Avenue and Poetic Justice.
The guide includes 14 modules of instruction, from writing op-eds and news stories to interviewing, editing and story pitching. It also addresses journalism ethics, AP style writing, fact-checking and language around incarceration, among others.
“We are proud to offer a truly structured approach that is in line with university journalism school curriculums,” said Shaheen Pasha, founder and Chief Education Officer of PJP. “Providing incarcerated writers with this type of thorough training can help them raise their voices to be heard outside of prison walls and contribute to important discussions about the criminal legal system.”
The guide joins PJP’s other learning offerings, which include PJP Inside, its award-winning educational print newspaper on journalism; PJPost, a quarterly e-newsletter with journalism tidbits; and its advanced correspondence-based workshop series. PJP has published over 2,100 stories from over 700 writers across more than 221 prisons. PJP writers have been published in The Guardian US, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, Chicago Reader and Witness LA.
The handbook was developed with the generous support of the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Emily Kaiser and Gene Bulmash; and Cindy and Devin Wenig. For more information, PJP can be contacted at pjp@prisonjournalismproject.org.
About Prison Journalism Project
Prison Journalism Project is a national, independent, nonpartisan initiative that trains incarcerated writers in the tools of journalism and helps them reach an outside audience via their own publication as well as through partnerships with mainstream media organizations.
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