Case Study #6: Innocence Project

The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

Situation: Facing the departure of its highly regarded communication director and the extensive search for a new candidate, the Innocence Project called on Emily Whitfield to act as Interim Communications Director from May – September 2010.

Solution: Emily Whitfield’s experience as the ACLU’s media relations director, as well as previous consulting experience with the Innocence Project, made this potentially challenging transition seamless for the organization.  She directed the daily operations of a busy communications department, managing a staff of three plus interns; responded to media inquiries from major outlets including The New Yorker, Associated Press, The New York Times and The Larry King Show; worked directly with high-profile co-founders Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck to vet and schedule their media appearances; met weekly with participated in weekly policy strategy meetings; and issued press releases and successfully pitched stories about complex legal and legislative criminal justice matters.  She also assisted the organization in vetting resumes and interviewing finalist candidates for the permanent director position.

In addition, Emily acted as Innocence Project’s chief liaison with Fox Searchlight Pictures for the rollout of Conviction, a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, which told the story of Betty Anne Waters’ quest to exonerate her brother Kenny and featured the work of The Innocence Project.  This included coordinating movie screenings and “talk-backs” with Innocence Project chapters across the country; assisting the studio with production of DVD “extras” featuring Innocence Project staff and interns; and participating in meetings with the film’s director and promotion teams to ensure that the organization’s message was consistently and accurately portrayed. Emily also worked directly with Betty Anne Waters to prepare her for public appearances.

Results: Emily Whitfield Communication’s experience and on-site presence helped the Innocence Project to carry on its important work and maintain its high media profile without disruption.  The permanent communications director position was successfully filled in September.