About Anthony Payton
Award-Winning Journalist | Justice Reform Advocate | Media Consultant
The Intersection of Experience and Expertise
I didn't set out to become a voice in criminal justice media - I earned it through two decades of navigating the system from both sides.
As an award-winning journalist, I've covered New Hampshire's criminal justice landscape for outlets including ManchesterInkLink and the Granite State News Collaborative. My reporting examines the challenges of re-entry, second-chance employment, and the human cost of policy decisions that impact thousands of families.
But my credibility doesn't come solely from a press badge. I've lived the stories I report. I understand the parole system because I've sat across from parole boards. I write about employment barriers for formerly incarcerated people because I've faced them. I consult on authentic character portrayal because I know what Hollywood gets wrong, and why it matters.
This dual perspective, journalist and justice-impacted individual, makes me uniquely qualified to help authors, screenwriters, organizations, and media outlets tell these stories right.
What I Bring To Every Project:
Professional Background:
15+ years in journalism, writing, podcasting, and media with bylines in regional publications
Regular columnist focusing on criminal justice and re-entry issues
Contributor to the Granite State News Collaborative's multimedia projects exploring diversity and justice in New Hampshire
Host and producer of the Lock and Key Podcast, featuring conversations about redemption, reform, and second chances
Beyond the Work
I'm a father, a New Hampshire resident, and someone who believes in the possibility of transformation, not as an abstract concept, but as a lived reality. I've seen what happens when people get real opportunities, not just second chances. I've witnessed how the right story, told at the right time, can shift someone's entire trajectory.
That's why I do this work. Not because I want to be the face of re-entry advocacy, but because I want to see a world where people like me don't have to be extraordinary to be treated as ordinary. Where employment applications don't automatically end in rejections. Where media representations reflect the complexity of real human beings.
Every consultation, every article, every speaking engagement is a step toward that world.
View my TEDx Talk
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