Author

Issac J. Bailey

@ijbailey

Issac Bailey, a 2014 Nieman Fellow, is a journalist, race relations seminar creator and facilitator, and the author of “Why Didn’t We Riot? A Black Man in Trumpland” (Other Press, October 2020). He is also the author of “My Brother Moochie: Regaining Dignity in the Face of Crime, Poverty, and Racism in the American South” (Other Press, 2018). He has contributed to Politico, CNN.com, Time, and The Washington Post. He is a former columnist and senior writer for The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and he was a 2011 recipient of a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for stories about a child protection case. The state subsequently revamped the way it handles such cases.

Felicia Sonmez’s Firing Highlights the Limits of Progress For Women In Newsrooms

Felicia Sonmez’s Firing Highlights the Limits of Progress For Women In Newsrooms

Felicia Sonmez demanded that The Washington Post live up to the highest standard — zero tolerance for sexism. She wouldn’t allow the organization to tiptoe around an issue our industry…
The Media Wrongly Helped Destroy Timothy Taylor’s Life. Here’s How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes Again

The Media Wrongly Helped Destroy Timothy Taylor’s Life. Here’s How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes Again

By the time the FBI had begun publicly discussing a young Black man as a prime suspect in a high-profile missing person case in 2016, I had already taken a…
Want Better Coverage of Threats to Democracy? Diversify Newsrooms

Want Better Coverage of Threats to Democracy? Diversify Newsrooms

I’ve been torn this month about what to focus on: the refusal of our industry to take true diversity goals seriously or the state of our democracy in the aftermath…
Why Political Reporters Are Still Focused on the Wrong Things

Why Political Reporters Are Still Focused on the Wrong Things

Let’s take a brief look at the problem with political reporting.First, I read a story by the Associated Press explaining why the Democratic brand is “toxic” in many largely white…
Call Out Bigotry in Reporting on the Ukraine Invasion

Call Out Bigotry in Reporting on the Ukraine Invasion

How journalists cover armed conflict shouldn’t hinge on the color of people’s skin or the color of their hair
It's Time to Ditch the Daily Covid-19 Case Count

It’s Time to Ditch the Daily Covid-19 Case Count

I am happy to report that my chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), an extremely rare autoimmune disease that attacks my nerve linings and for a time put me in a…
Yes, There’s Inflation. But It’s Not the Whole Story

Yes, There’s Inflation. But It’s Not the Whole Story

I knew I had arrived as an important member of my family when I was allowed to lift the 50-pound bag of rice at the grocery store and take it…
Don't Bury the Lede: Overall Crime Declined Despite the Pandemic

Don’t Bury the Lede: Overall Crime Declined Despite the Pandemic

Something astounding happened in 2020: Major crime — which includes armed assault, robbery, car jackings, rape, and murder — dropped by 5 about percent from 2019. Conventional wisdom has it…
What Are We Missing in The Afghanistan Story?

What Are We Missing in The Afghanistan Story?

I can’t think about the horrific images of people in Afghanistan clinging to the wheels of U.S. military airplanes without thinking of the coverage of the Iraq war on April…
Journalism Must Pick a Side — Not of a Party But for Democracy

Journalism Must Pick a Side — Not of a Party But for Democracy

Seems we need a reminder.On Jan. 6, 2021, the nation’s Capitol building was attacked — not figuratively, but literally. Thousands of people descended upon D.C. in an attempt to stop…