Alex Arriaga is a writer, editor and engagement journalist based in New York. As the audience engagement editor at New York Focus, she leads the organization's strategy to reach audiences throughout the state.
At The Marshall Project, Alex supported outreach and engagement to communities impacted by the criminal justice system as an engagement reporter. Her reporting on prisons, jails, voting rights and felony courts was published with local and national outlets including NPR and USA Today.
In a past life, she was a local reporter in Chicago, where her work on politics, elections, housing and civic participation centered on immigrant communities. Her work was published with City Bureau, Chicago Reader, Borderless Magazine,SouthSide Weekly, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Magazine and more.
When she’s inspired, she writes short notes or “little clicks” on Substack.
About
I have years of investigative, political and engagement journalism experience at the local and national level with a focus on communities excluded from civic processes and power.
Projects
What New Yorkers Want From Local News
I led New York Focus’s community listening tour, traveling across the state to meet with communities about their local news needs. Read the report.
Why Inflation Price Hikes Are Even Worse Behind Bars
An additional “tax” on commissary goods means incarcerated people are paying far more for staple items like peanut butter and soap, a Marshall Project analysis found.
Media: NPR All Things Considered
Out on Parole in Colorado? You Can Vote.
More than two years after a reform bill, outdated government messaging still causes confusion for people on parole in Colorado. An explainer from The Marshall Project was distributed to parole offices and reentry service organizations throughout the state to bridge this information gap.
Media: Inside Wire Radio, which airs throughout the Colorado Department of Corrections, invited us to share our reporting
Experiments