I’m extremely proud to announce that four new staff writers have joined In These Times: Allison Kilkenny, Beau Hodai, Mike Elk, and Sady Doyle.
As our Editor & Publisher Joel Bleifuss puts it, “These four young women and men represent the best of a new generation of journalists.” An anonymous foundation has provided a grant enabling us to hire these writers.
You may think that some or all of these writers need no introduction: But just in case, let me introduce them…
Allison Kilkenny is the co-host of the critically acclaimed radio show Citizen Radio and a reporter/commentator who has been called one of the “top 30 media heroes” in the country and “This generation’s Amy Goodman.”
She’s known for her coverage of youth movements that respond to the global economic crisis, from UK Uncut to Occupy Wall Street, and will anchor a new blog here on our website, Uprising, dedicated to covering activists’ campaigns for social and economic justice.
Allison says:
“Austerity programs, budget cuts and general economic instability have inspired people to fight back against unjust systems of governance. I’m very excited to be afforded the opportunity to document these movements at Uprising.”
Beau Hodai has already written two major In These Times cover stories and recently filed his third. In 2010, he broke the story of how the private prison industry, assisted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), helped shape Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, S.B. 1070.
Then, earlier this year, Beau revealed how ALEC, the Koch brothers and their corporate allies are working to neuter public employee unions and privatize government by providing “model legislation” to lawmakers in states across the country. He’ll continue to dig deep into public records and pull out muck that needs to be in front of the general public. He says:
“Journalism, if done right, is never about the money. I believe in what I do, and I love harassing corrupt individuals in power. But since money is needed to buy gas, food and rent, I’m delighted to be joining In These Times on a full-time basis.”
Mike Elk, a mainstay of the Working In These Times blog, is known for his dogged beat reporting on stories such as the Honeywell lock-out and his commitment to asking the labor movement tough questions. He has discussed his stories on MSNBC, NPR and Democracy Now!, and he has been described by Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead as “the real Matt Taibbi” and “the new John Wayne.” Mike says:
“The team at In These Times has stood by me in covering tough, in-your-face stories about the labor movement that publications typically ignore. I’m honored to join full-time the magazine of greats like Kurt Vonnegut, Joel Bleifuss, and Jimmy Weinstein. I look forward to causing more trouble for corporate bosses and multi-millionaire union bosses alike.”
Sady Doyle is the founder and publisher of the blog Tiger Beatdown, and has written about how gender inequality affects everything from pop culture to Wikileaks for Salon, Bitch, Rookie, The Atlantic, Global Comment and The American Prospect. She’ll be writing a weekly web column for In These Times, beginning with an examination of SlutWalk NYC, its discontents and its relationship to Occupy Wall Street. Says Sady:
“I’ve always admired In These Times’ integrity and commitment to covering the news from a progressive standpoint, and I couldn’t be happier to add my feminist voice to that mix, so that women will always know they have a place in this conversation, without being condescended to or marginalized.”
For more information or to coordinate an interview or on-air appearance with Allison Kilkenny, Beau Hodai, Mike Elk, Sady Doyle or In These Times editors, you can reach me at (773) 772-0100 ext. 240 or joe@inthesetimes.com.
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Joe Macaré is a writer, editor and development and communications professional, originally hailing from the UK and now residing in Chicago. His writing has appeared at In These Times, TruthOut, AlterNet, Dazed and Confused, The Times, Plan B and Stylus. He has appeared on WBEZ radio and Chicago Newsroom to discuss his extensive coverage of the Occupy Chicago movement.
