Sean K. Campbell

Sean Campbell is an investigative journalist living in New York City. His stories are often rooted in data and focus at the intersection of social and criminal justice, race, and public health. 

His investigations have covered topics ranging from racism and discrimination in Doctors Without Borders, to disproportionate federal sentences for George Floyd protesters, to children being shot in Flint, Michigan, to nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, to gun trafficking in Mexico. His pieces on disproportionate gunshot death rates in New York City sparked conversations about hospital trauma care, promises for action from local politicians, and discussion within the data journalism community on combining gun violence and health reporting. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the facility at the center of that investigation, launched a new trauma wing in 2023. His interrogation of the "Craigslist" of gun sales formed the basis for a lawsuit against Armlist.com, and his pandemic reporting has spurred legislation by state lawmakers. 

Sean's story on the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s finances was one of the lead features for New York magazine’s “Ten Years Since Trayvon” issue, which was honored with a 2023 National Magazine Award, and his uncovering of the organization's purchase of a $6 million property with donor funds was one of the most widely covered stories of 2022. He's received the 2021 Excellence in Journalism Award by the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the 2020 Les Payne Award for Coverage on Communities of Color from the Society of Professional Journalists' Deadline Club, and a Sidney Award from the Hillman Foundation, among other recognitions. His feature work has been published by Rolling Stone, ProPublica, Insider, and Slate, among other outlets. 

He is an adjunct assistant professor in the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and holds a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida, a master of fine arts in writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and a master of science degree from Columbia Journalism School.