I Want to Use My Platform to Highlight Injustice
Meet the hell-raising Mother Jones fellows who keep us accurate and fresh.
Every six months, Mother Jones welcomes a new class of up-and-coming journalists to learn the craft of investigative reporting through a rigorous fact-checking program. It’s not easy for fellows to balance helping Mother Jones staffers fact check articles while developing their own news stories, but our new class is up to the challenge. Meet one of our Ben Bagdikian editorial fellows, Ashley Dejean:
“It’s important to highlight pressing problems and injustices in our communities. Being a journalist is also essential to helping people better understand the world around them and elevating voices society doesn’t often hear.”
Name: Ashley Dejean
Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas
College: American University BA in International Studies
How did you get into journalism? After I took my first journalism class in high school, I knew that was the only path for me. I worked on student publications, and I interned at Washington City Paper, Houston Public Media, and a local paper in Pune, India. I eventually landed a job at WAMU, the public radio station in DC, where I worked as the senior news editor. It was an incredible experience, but I always wanted to be an investigative reporter, and that’s what drew me to the Mother Jones fellowship.
Why is being a journalist important? At its best, journalism should help citizens better understand the world around them and elevate voices society doesn’t often hear. I have a platform that influences not only what people think about but how they think about it. It’s essential to use that platform to serve the public. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is learning about new facets of issues by talking to the people at the heart of the story, or learning about something under the radar and being able to share it with the public.
What got you reading Mother Jones? My hell-raising mom.
What’s one thing you’re excited about doing at Mother Jones? Investigative reporting.
What are you excited to do now that you live in DC? I’ve been in DC for seven-and-a-half years — there’s always more to explore, but I’ve hit most of the highlights. I’m excited to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened last year.
What’s a podcast you recommend? Call Your Girlfriend
What’s one song you can’t get out of your head? “Crazy Bird” by Wild Child
One TV show we must watch now? I enthusiastically endorse Orphan Black.
An article that inspired you? This American Life’s two part episode “The Problem We All Live With” with Nikole Hannah-Jones about school segregation.
Each week, we’ll bring you a new profile of our fellows. Check our Medium page for more. ∎
