Our Mission and History
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and empower citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Our Standards and Practices
Our Impact
Over the years, City Limits has exposed dozens of issues and elevated hundreds of voices. Here are just a few examples of areas where we’ve made a difference:
•We were the first news organization to comprehensively investigate the flaws in New York’s use of financial bail, and our reporting informed work by human-rights organizations that in turn spurred action by the state court system.
•Our reporting on the mayor’s affordable housing plan and the concerns about low-income renters and non-profit builders being excluded prodded the discussion that led to changes in the city’s approach in 2016.
•Our 2010 investigation of one of the convictions related to the Brian Watkins murder led to that defendant, Johnny Hincapie, being released from prison after 25 years after his case was reopened.
Read more about City Limits’ impact
Our Staff
David Brand
Reporter/Editor, Housing & Homelessness
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Email
Liz Donovan
Reporter and RFA Corps Member, Climate, Health and Environment
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Email
Jeanmarie Evelly
Executive Editor
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Linkedin • Email
Megan Fu
Audience Development Editor
Bio • Email • Twitter
Griffin Kelly
Reporting Intern
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Email
Marjorie Martay
Executive Director
Bio • Email
Jarrett Murphy
Contributing editor
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Linkedin • Email
Ese Olumhense
Reporter/Editor, Government & Politics
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Email
Daniel Parra
Spanish-Language Reporter/Editor
Bio/Bylines • Twitter • Email
Adi Talwar
Contributing Photographer
Website • Twitter • Email
Greis Torres
Development Manager
Bylines • Twitter • Email
Our Board
Mark Edmiston, chairman
Managing Partner, Civil Management LLC
Andrew Breslau, vice chairman
Senior Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Downtown Alliance
Kathleen Ahn
Mark Coatney
Vice President of Digital News, Forbes
Erica Gonzalez
Deputy Director, Power4PuertoRico
David R. Jones
President, Community Service Society
Edward Lewis
Magazine publisher and entrepreneur
Mark E. Lieberman
Director of Research, Carpenter Contractor Alliance of Metropolitan New York.
Jeff Maclin
Vice President for Governmental and Public Relations, Community Service Society
Martha Nelson
Former SVP and Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo! and former Editor-in-Chief of Time Inc.
Erik Spooner
Creative director, Ad Age
Our Associate Board
Adina Berliant, chair
Development Manager, City Limits
Aliya Brown
Senior Program Associate, Enterprise Community Partners
Colleen Osborne
Product Marketing Associate Mobile, TED Conferences
Jesse Isleman
Legislative Counsel, New York State Senate
Kristine Mikkelsen
Campaign Manager, Hinge
Melanie Breault
Communications Associate, Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development
Sam McAllister
Senior Content Manager, Vox Media
Steven-Emmanuel Martinez
Chief of Staff, Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services at NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
Yoni Weiss
Designer, Jessica Weber Design
Join Our Associate Board
City Limits offers a limited number of Associate Board positions for New York City residents under 30 years old who are interested in being ambassadors for independent, investigative, local journalism by raising funds, and by bringing expertise that supports and expands our mission. Applications are currently being accepted here.
Our Awards
2019 Clarion Awards
Online Journalism: Special Feature Section
2018 Ippies
–1st place, Best Story About a Community (Abigail Savitch-Lew for “13 Years After Blocking New Development, Staten Island Hopes to Welcome Just Enough of It”)
–3rd place, Best Photograph (Adi Talwar for “NoBackspace: Vision Zero Works When Victim-Blaming Stops and Accountability Starts”)
–3rd place, Best Social Issues Story (David Brand for “NYC’s Cultural Plan Spurs Disabled Artists in Fight for Roles and Respect”)
2018 New York Press Club Journalism Awards
Best Feature-Internet: “NYCHA Crime Witnesses Face Obstacles When They Seek Safety” by Ese Olumhense (produced in partnership with The Investigative Fund)
Best Political Coverage-Internet: “Election 2017” by editor Jarett Murphy, photographer Adi Talwar, then-staff writer Abigail Savitch-Lew and contributors Kizzy Cox, Jonathan Gomez and Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan.
2018 Silurian Medals
Science/Health: “Death Disparities” by Ruth Ford with Jananki Chadha and photographer Adi Talwar
2017 Ippies
Best Multimedia Package: First Place, “Cleaner Creeks and Bays, But How Will New Yorkers Access the Waters They Own?” by Adi Talwar and Guglielmo Mattioli
2017 Ippies
Best Social Issues Story: Second Place, “Do NYC’s Middle-Class Families Really Need Affordable Housing?” by Abigail Savitch-Lew
2016 Clarion Award
Online Journalism-Special Feature Section: On the Border of Justice
2016 National Headliner Awards (with WNYC)
2nd place, radio: The Cost of Our Water
2016 Society of the Siluruans Award
Environmental reporting: Green Jobs Gone Missing
2016 New York Press Club Award
Continuing coverage
2016 New York Press Club Award
Nellie Bly Cub Reporter Award: Ben Hattem
2016 Ippie Award
Best Social Issues Story: Linden Plaza’s Saga by Abigail Savitch Lew
2016 Ippie Award
Best Photograph: Adi Talwar
2014 Ippie Award
Best Social Issues Story, 1st Place
The Center for Community and Ethnic Media at that CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
2013 Silurian Society Award
Best News Commentary
The Society of Silurians
2013 Ippie Award
Best Story on an Immigrant Community, 3rd Place
Best Story on a Social Issue, 3rd Place
The Center for Community and Ethnic Media at that CUNY Graduate School of Journalism