ProPublica and The Marshall Project have are the winners of a 2016 PEN Center USA Literary Award for the joint investigation “An Unbelievable Story of Rape.” One of two American branches of the global literary and human rights organization PEN International, Pen Center USA recognized the story’s co-authors– ProPublica reporter T. Christian Miller and The Marshall Project’s Ken Armstrong – in the awards’ journalism category.
“An Unbelievable Story of Rape” tells the harrowing account of an 18-year-old woman who had reported being raped at knifepoint in her apartment outside Seattle. Local police did not believe her story and ultimately prosecuted her for lying to authorities, but years later two female detectives identified and caught the rapist, ultimately vindicating the young woman. The piece, which also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, was applauded by the police department that had mishandled the initial investigation, and several law enforcement agencies have requested permission to use the article as part of their training programs.
A complete list of the 2016 PEN Center USA Literary Award winners is here. They will be honored at the 26th Annual Literary Awards Festival on September 28 in Beverly Hills.
