2021 NPPA Best of Photojournalism

2021 Online Video Storytelling – Documentary

First Place
Anatomy of Hate
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Emily Kassie EDITOR Margaret Cheatham Williams ADDITIONAL EDITOR Arpita Aneja CINEMATOGRAPHY Nausheen Dadabhoy, Emily Kassie and Jason Arthurs SUPERVISING PRODUCERS Justine Simons and Geraldine Sealey CO-PRODUCER Joseph Neff ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE Judy Phu, Caleb Goodnight, Emily Rhyne, Ray Whitehouse and Tarek Albaba MOTION GRAPHICS the STUDIO, Mary Nittolo and Eric Schutzbank SOUND Dan Dzula COLOR Marika Litz/The Marshall Project
First Place

Five years ago, three Muslim college students were gunned down in their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by a white neighbor, Craig Hicks. Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha, two of the victims, had just been married. They were enjoying dinner with the bride’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, who was also killed. Police labeled the crime a parking dispute, sparking outrage among Muslim communities around the world. The killings came amid a surge in reports of bias-motivated attacks against Muslims in America, which spiked 67 percent in 2015, according to FBI data. That year, 5,850 hate crimes were reported across the country—a number that continues to grow. Last year, the FBI announced more than 7,120 reported hate crimes, with physical assaults reaching a 16-year high. Although the latest data shows fewer attacks against Muslims and Arab-Americans, civil rights groups say there are likely many more anti-Muslim incidents that do not appear in the FBI’s data. Did the murder of the college students in Chapel Hill meet the definition of a hate crime? That question is at the heart of our new documentary re-examining a case that reverberated around the globe. The film sheds light on how our nation is responding to rising levels of bias-fueled violence and how we define what constitutes a hate crime under the law. “Anatomy of Hate” also explores what the loss of Yusor, Razan and Deah meant for their families and the Muslim community. Xenophobia and violence towards Muslims and people of color are issues that are currently roiling America—this film seeks to understand the nuances of hate and its role in our laws and society.