Mint Press News is an independent online news organization providing in-depth, thought-provoking analysis, reporting and political commentary on the most pressing issues facing our nation and our world through the lens of social justice and human rights.
We have developed a masthead of journalists, academics and political analysts who provide context and insight into issues and stories often overlooked by the current establishment media.
In a headline-driven industry, we provide readers with an innovative form of journalism that not only covers the “who, what, when, where and why” but also includes information on how certain topics relate to democracy, human rights and government — keeping the stories that really matter grounded in social justice while empowering our readers.
We’re a team of editors, writers, reporters, national and international correspondents and contributors. Our masthead includes veteran journalists, war correspondents, grassroots leaders, activists, analysts, authors and academics.
We believe that news media has a social obligation in keeping people informed on subjects that directly and indirectly influence people now and in the future, while rigorously discussing policies to drive us in a better direction as a true democracy.
National & International Correspondents
Dale Gavlak
Dale Gavlak is a Middle East correspondent for Mint Press News and the Associated Press. Gavlak has been stationed in Amman, Jordan for the Associated Press for over two decades. An expert in Middle Eastern Affairs, Gavlak currently covers the Levant region of the Middle East for AP, National Public Radio and Mint Press News, writing on various topics including politics, social issues and economic trends. Dale holds a M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago.
Magda Fahsi
Magda Fahsi is a Europe correspondent and investigative reporter for Mint Press News based in Brussels, Belgium, specializing in human rights. She is a long-term freelance journalist, a cross-cultural coach and lectures about intercultural management at the Vatel International Business School. Fahsi holds a postgraduate degree in Human Rights and a Ph.D. in International Relations & Diplomacy. She has been published on a variety of topics including European Union affairs, the Arab world, human rights, migration and diversity issues. Visit her website at www.magdafahsi.eu .
Janessa Schilmoeller
Janessa Schilmoeller is an Africa & Middle East correspondent for Mint Press based in Namibia in Southern Africa. Janessa has worked with intercultural education programs for several years and focuses on topics of international relations, social change and human rights. She has previously lived in Amman, Jordan and has traveled to various countries in the Middle East. She is currently reporting from southern Africa where she coordinates study abroad programs focused on nation building, liberation theology and decolonizing the mind.
Staff Writers & Reporters
Jo Erickson
Jo Erickson is a Mint Press investigative journalist and producer specializing in criminal and social justice as well as politics. She worked as the BBC’s News and Current Affairs Producer, breaking the news of the 2011 London riots while also covering African affairs and human rights. She has been published in The Guardian, The Daily Mirror and various U.K. publications. She has worked as an undercover journalist and filmed documentaries for the BBC exposing crime and terrorism. Contact Jo at jerickson@mintpress.net.
Frederick Reese
Frederick Reese is a Mint Press staff writer. A long-time journalist and creative writer, Frederick started his journalistic career writing for his university’s newspaper, “The Colgate Maroon-News,” before starting and heading his own magazine, “The Idealist.” Since then, Frederick has written about and worked for social advocacy projects and personal awareness efforts. Frederick is a jack-of-all-trades, with work experience as a teacher, a chef and a storywriter, and publication credits with Yahoo!, B. Couleur, and other publications. A native New Yorker, Frederick graduated from Colgate University in 1999 and Johnson & Wales University in 2003.
Trisha Marczak
Trisha Marczak is an investigative reporter at Mint Press News speciallizing in the environment, immigration, human rigths and the oil industry. She has worked in Australia with several NGOs, and has worked as a staff writer and an award winning editor for various newspapers and magazines in the Midwest since returning from Australia. She is also an award-winning public radio reporter for spot news coverage.
Contact Trisha at tmarczak@mintpress.net. Follow her on Twitter at @TrishaMarczakMP
Martin Michaels
Martin Michaels is a Mint Press staff writer. A native New Yorker, Michaels graduated with a degree in international relations and democratization in the Middle East. He has traveled to Jordan, Egypt and Israel, conducting research and studying human rights issues there. Michaels has also worked in various positions with J Street and Occupy Wall Street, promoting peace and social justice.
Contact Martin at mmichaels@mintpress.net. Follow Martin on Twitter at @MMichaelsMPN
Katie Rucke
Katie Rucke is a Mint Press editorial assistant and staff writer specializing in health, criminal justice, education and watchdog investigations. Her investigations related to the coverage of the 2010 Toyota recall scandal received international acclaim. Rucke has also written pieces for Yahoo! and various community magazines. Contact Katie at krucke@mintpress.net. Follow Katie on Twitter at @katierucke.
Insights Columnists
Edward Rhymes
Edward Rhymes is a Mint Press columnist and author of “When Racism Is Law & Prejudice Is Policy: Prejudicial and Discriminatory Laws, Decisions and Policies in U.S. History.” Rhymes is an authority in the areas of critical race theory and black studies. His work is also featured in several books including, “Mirror on America: Essays & Images from Popular Culture 4th Edition” (Bedford /St. Martins) and, “Should Music Lyrics Be Censored for Violence and Exploitation?” (Greenhaven Press).
Stephen Lendman
Stephen Lendman is a Mint Press columnist and political analyst. Author of “How Wall Street Fleeces America” and “The Iraq Quagmire: the Price of Imperial Arrogance,” Lendman is also a frequent contributor to Veterans Today and host of The Progressive Radio News Hour where he devotes his extensive research, writing and discussions on vital world and national topics including American imperialism, corporate dominance, political persecutions and US foreign relations. Lendman is frequently interviewed on international news networks including Al Jazeera English, Russia Today and Press TV.
John Nordin
John Nordin is a Mint Press columnist and political analyst. He teaches Argumentation at the University of Minnesota while holding a Ph.D in Transportation Systems from MIT. Nordin has been a Lutheran pastor, taught computer science in Kenya and is regularly published in a variety of fields. Nordin is an expert in US politics, as well as those of Greece, where he teaches a study abroad program each summer.
John Stoehr
John Stoehr is a Mint Press columnist and political analyst. He is a political science lecturer at Yale University and an editor at the New Statesman. His writings about politics, religion, business and culture have appeared in American Prospect, Reuters, the Guardian, Dissent, Religion Dispatches and the Forward. He is a frequent political contributor Al Jazeera English and the Boston Review. Follow him on twitter @johnastoehr.
Jeffrey Cavanaugh
Jeffrey Cavanaugh is a Mint Press columnist and political analyst. He is a political science and public administration lecturer at Mississippi State University. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations, specializing in International Security and Conflict. Cavanaugh also writes about farm politics and policy, where his work has appeared in agriculture news publications in Illinois.
Carissa Wyant
Carissa Wyant is a Mint Press columnist and special reporter specializing in faith, race and social justice issues. She has written extensively for the Huffington Post, Patch.com, American City Business Journals and various local publications around the American Midwest. She has also worked as a broadcast journalist appearing on ABC and Fox News affiliates. Wyant is a winner of the Overseas Press Club of America Fellowship, and currently teaches theology & justice and peace studies at Hamline University. Contact Carissa at cwyant@mintpress.net. Follow Carissa on Twitter at @CarissaWyant.
