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.

It’s Time for Journalists to Use the "R" Word: Racism

It’s Time for Journalists to Use the “R” Word: Racism

Journalists, even those whose job it is to set standards, continue to have a hard time determining if the word “racism” applies in a story. Here’s a simple rule of…
Are journalists going too far in trying to avoid the “liberal bias” label?

Are journalists going too far in trying to avoid the “liberal bias” label?

I’m beginning to wonder if journalists have been bending over backward so far to disprove the “liberal media” narrative that they have unwittingly become advocates for conservatives and, more importantly,…
How Implicit Bias Works in Journalism

How Implicit Bias Works in Journalism

Avoiding the pitfalls of hidden biases can lead to better story selection and more inclusive reporting
The New Yorker's Real Mistake with Bannon

The New Yorker’s Real Mistake with Bannon

We are amid another shallow media debate, this time triggered by the New Yorker’s decision to first invite, then disinvite Steve Bannon from The New Yorker Festival.Very Serious and Very…
Sarah Jeong and the Need for Newsrooms to Stand Up against Online Harassment

Sarah Jeong and the Need for Newsrooms to Stand Up against Online Harassment

I know what it feels like to be in the crosshairs of “the mob,” online and otherwise, black and white. It’s not pleasant. But there’s no reason for a journalist…
Give Back the Bracelet: Ali Watkins and the Ethics of Source Relationships

Give Back the Bracelet: Ali Watkins and the Ethics of Source Relationships

I couldn’t get past the pearl bracelet.There is much to chew on about the story of Ali Watkins—whose email and phone records were seized by federal prosecutors investigating James Wolfe,…
What the IG Report on the Clinton Email Investigation Means for Journalists

What the IG Report on the Clinton Email Investigation Means for Journalists

Traditional journalistic structures were used against our democracy in the 2016 election. We can’t let it happen again

Murder and the Making of a Journalist

In “My Brother Moochie,” Issac J. Bailey investigates the murder his oldest brother committed and comes to terms with difficult truths
What Joy Ann Reid’s Blog Posts Say about Journalistic Ethics

What Joy Ann Reid’s Blog Posts Say about Journalistic Ethics

The story isn’t whether MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid was homophobic a decade ago, supports the LBGTQ community now and should be commended for that growth. She should.It’s not about whether…
Facts Are Facts, No Matter if Readers Like Them

Facts Are Facts, No Matter if Readers Like Them

We are in a time of hyper-propaganda, and not just from Russia, through social media that has reached, if not influenced, tens of millions of Americans. The president of the…