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, The Post, Gayle King, and The Perils of Tradition Bias

Felicia Sonmez, The Post, Gayle King, and The Perils of Tradition Bias

When The Washington Post tried to silence reporter Felicia Sonmez, it was likely guided by a tradition bias — a preference for the way things have been over how they…
An Open Letter to Troy Closson, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Northwestern

An Open Letter to Troy Closson, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Northwestern

Veteran journalists need voices like yours to expose our tradition bias
Covering Impeachment Isn’t Only About Politics

Covering Impeachment Isn’t Only About Politics

It’s tempting to fall back on journalistic defaults during confusing times like these, such as making political ramifications the primary focus of the unfolding scandal involving President Donald Trump and…
Mueller’s Testimony: Journalists Allow "Optics" to Triumph Over Substance

Mueller’s Testimony: Journalists Allow “Optics” to Triumph Over Substance

The optics were flawless. The best Hollywood screenwriters and directors could not have produced a better performance. There he was, a black Republican, a decorated war hero and general, a…
Trump’s “Go Back” Tweet: This Is What Racism Looks Like

Trump’s “Go Back” Tweet: This Is What Racism Looks Like

White racism flourishes in the United States in America for a variety of reasons. Its historical roots stretch back hundreds of years, to even before there was officially a USA.…
When It Comes to Free Speech, Walmart has Something to Teach Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube

When It Comes to Free Speech, Walmart has Something to Teach Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube

I can’t imagine standing in the middle of a Walmart and having a fellow customer repeatedly calling me racial epithets as the manager silently watches from a corner of the…
Covering the Complexities of Abortion

Covering the Complexities of Abortion

A confession: Until recently, I didn’t really understand what happens during a woman’s menstrual cycle. (And I still kind of have a few questions.) I confess because I’m a male…
Journalism after the Mueller Report and the Barr Summary

Journalism after the Mueller Report and the Barr Summary

It’s clear what journalists must do in the wake of Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the Mueller report: continue to aggressively pursue the Trump-Russia story, and not give one…
BuzzFeed, Michael Cohen, and Media Credibility

BuzzFeed, Michael Cohen, and Media Credibility

A bombshell from BuzzFeed in January initially seemed to ensure that President Donald Trump would join Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon as presidents who were either impeached or forced from…
How Journalistic Standards Are Used Against Journalists

How Journalistic Standards Are Used Against Journalists

The Washington Post’s decision to publish unverified sexual assault allegations is the most disturbing example of the flattening of the media landscape since the political press decided to spend more…