The American Witness Way

American Witness Way is a network of data-driven journalism focusing on the criminal justice system.

Using custom technology and a battle-hardened data collection methodology, we’re shaping the future of community-focused journalism and defining a sustainable business model fit for a rapidly changing media landscape.

At a time when attitudes toward journalism are increasingly fragmented and fragile, our impartial, data-centric sourcing provides much-needed confidence and clarity – not just for communities, but also for businesses, local governments, and groups seeking to create and implement meaningful change.

In data lies truth. And truth is the future of journalism.

Our aim is to be active in over 20 cities across the U.S. within the next five years, building a comprehensive network of American Witness Way Affiliate Groups nationwide. This coverage will offer a real-time, multi-city view of how the criminal justice system operates—and a clearer understanding of how it affects the communities it serves.

Driving the nationwide coverage will be a series of associated journalists (Affiliate Groups) and support staff who will benefit from the help and guidance from the core team. They’ll be equipped with sustainable, revenue-generating tools that not only grow the affiliate program but also strengthen their own journalistic efforts. A key part of AWW’s mission is revitalizing journalism at all scales, strengthening its impact, and reducing reliance on outdated business models.

A core founding principle of AWW is to empower communities through access to high-quality information and insight. Individuals, grassroots groups, and organizations in each city will be able to rely on AWW’s impartial and complete criminal justice data—available to use in any way that drives positive change.

The challenge is significant. With an ambitious growth strategy ahead, we’re looking to build a network of capable, ambitious, and talented journalists and support staff. If you meet these criteria, we want to hear form you.

Founded in 2015, American Witness was born out of a drive to bring transparency to local criminal justice systems. We quickly recognized deep-rooted issues in how cities ‘processed’ justice—and how inefficiencies and failures disproportionately impacted those affected by serious crime.

Our journalistic approach soon became increasingly data-driven, revealing the power of combining court reporting and technology in coverage.

As we expanded into multiple cities and our team grew, we refined our methodology and recruited data scientists, software engineers, and subject specialists to build bespoke tools for capturing and analyzing data. This was the turning point: we realized that creating a network would greatly benefit not just the communities we serve but also the journalists embedded within affiliate teams.

We firmly believe the future of journalism lies in the seamless integration of data. While AWW is only one part of a broader solution to systemic issues, our growth is purpose-driven and ongoing.

With Affiliate Groups already active in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the next cities on our roadmap are:

– Boston
– Memphis
– Miami
– Minneapolis
– New Orleans

Our expansion will continue westward for full nationwide coverage, expected to be complete by 2030.

Each new city strengthens the network—bringing shared insights, a deeper data pool, and greater appeal for funders and investors.

Each new city also brings with it huge potential for learnings, be that from the nuances of their criminal justice system, through to the personal experience of each and every member of the team that’s built. With our responsive and comparatively flat organisational structure comes great opportunity for affiliates to bring potential for change and all of the rewards that come with success.