Shaun KingVerified account

Some personal news - I'm the new interim Editor-in-Chief of @theappeal -- couldn't be more thrilled to join this team.https://twitter.com/theappeal/status/1129066816662376449 …

I have long admired The Appeal -- and, as a former criminal justice reporter myself, even been frequently jealous of it -- for its consistent, aggressive journalism on our criminal legal system and addiction to caging human beings.

The Appeal’s movement journalism has never been more critically important than right now. We are in the middle of a crisis. The policies and politics of mass incarceration have devastated the lives of millions of Americans.

We are living in a time where crime, and especially violent crime, is near record lows, yet we continue to be the world’s leading jailer.

Too often, so-called “objective” journalism has served to bolster this ongoing crisis, helping to codify and justify the politics of mass incarceration.

The antidote is The Appeal -- aggressive, powerful, accountable movement journalism that shines a light on the local criminal justice systems, and players, that for far too long have not received the scrutiny they deserve.

Like climate change, mass incarceration is real and we don’t pretend otherwise. Moreover, mass incarceration is not merely a set of practices, but also a politics that must be described with particular attention to the people whose actions and interests sustain it.

We, at The Appeal, will deliver that scrutiny through our powerful movement journalism. So excited and honored to begin this new chapter.