Joe Sexton

Senior Editor

Photo of Joe Sexton

Joe Sexton was a senior editor at ProPublica. Before coming to ProPublica in 2013, he had worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor at The New York Times. Sexton served as metropolitan editor at the Times from 2006 to 2011, and his staff won two Pulitzer Prizes, including the award for breaking news for its coverage of Eliot Spitzer’s downfall. From 2011 to 2013, Sexton served as the paper's sports editor, overseeing its coverage of the 2012 Summer Games in London and the Penn State scandal, among other major stories. The department under Sexton won a wide array of awards for its photography, art design and innovative online presentations. As a reporter, Sexton covered sports, politics, crime and the historic overhaul of the country's welfare legislation. His work was anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting (Houghton/Mifflin). Sexton is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn and the father of four daughters.

Can the U.S. Military Build a Border Wall Even as It Struggles to Rebuild Itself?

President Donald Trump has floated the idea that the military build his much-touted border wall. Tonight, the idea might become reality.

“I Don’t Want to Shoot You, Brother”

A shocking story of police and lethal force. Just not the one you might expect.

In New York, Crime Falls Along With Police Stops

Police have radically cut back their use of stop-and-frisk policies. To the surprise of some, crime didn’t spike, but tumbled yet again.

How Many American Women Die From Causes Related to Pregnancy or Childbirth? No One Knows.

Data collection on maternal deaths is so flawed and under-funded that the federal government no longer even publishes an official death rate.

Amid the Blaring Headlines, Routine Reports of Hate-Fueled Violence

Documenting Hate’s catalogue of incidents captures the seeming ordinariness of many of them.

Victims in Thousands of Potential Hate Crimes Never Notify Police

A new federal survey on hate crimes offers cause for both alarm and confusion.

Despite Exposés and Embarrassments, Hundreds of Judges Preside in New York Without Law Degrees

A review of the work of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct chronicles the costs of a tradition resistant to change.

We’re Investigating Hate Across the U.S. There’s No Shortage of Work.

The coalition of newsrooms behind “Documenting Hate” has recorded a wide variety of violence in all corners of the country.

The Cost of Trump’s Wall Compared to the Programs He’s Proposing to Cut

America may get its border wall. It just might have to do without a lot else.

Lawyers Formally Ask That Guilty Verdict Be Set Aside in Etan Patz Murder Case

Lawyers for the man convicted in the killing of a 6-year-old Manhattan boy who went missing in 1979 have filed a motion asking the judge in the case to set aside the guilty verdict because of jury contamination.

Did Jury in Etan Patz Murder Case Receive Improper Information?

Lawyers for man convicted in case of notorious missing boy to seek hearing on report of jury contamination.

Alleged Chicago Assault Reignites Issue of Hate Crimes Against Whites

As Chicago authorities waited before filing hate-crime charges against four young adult blacks for an alleged attack on a white disabled man, the Internet raged.

Using Prisoner Phone Calls to Convict? NY’s Highest Court Puts Critical Question on Hold

In April, the state’s Court of Appeals expressed uncertainty about using recorded jail calls against the accused. Now the issue has arisen in the Etan Patz murder case.

A Good Cop

John Timoney, beat cop with a master’s degree, led police departments in New York, Philadelphia and Miami.

Discovery TV to Air Film Inspired by Our Water Crisis Reporting

“Killing the Colorado” will premier Aug. 4, and include the work of five Academy-Award-winning filmmakers. The film tells the true story of the water crisis in the American West.

Donald Trump’s Trick Spokesperson Play

The mystery of whether Trump masqueraded as his own spokesman while owner of the New Jersey Generals endures.

Bad Grandpa: The Ugly Forefather of New York’s Affordable Housing Debacles

ProPublica’s coverage of New York City‘s failures to enforce its commitments to affordable housing takes a trip back in time.

Scene from ‘Making a Murderer’ Echoes in Etan Patz Case

Inflammatory pre-trial publicity was an issue in the Netflix series, and now a defense lawyer wants to make it an issue in New York’s famous missing child case.

The Prominence and Plight Of Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

Girls, many of whom have suffered a range of trauma at home, make up a growing share of children arrested and detained across the country.

Jury Can't Reach Verdict in Patz Murder Case

After 18 days of deliberation, a Manhattan jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked in case involving boy who went missing in 1979.

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