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 [email protected] .

Central African Republic Needs Aid Not Weapons

With schools and hospitals looted by gunmen, churches and mosques are a target for mass shootings.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

Women raped, townships burnt to the ground, children killed or taken to be trained as child soldiers, the Central African Republic is rapidly descending into a lawless state with acts of genocide and human atrocities committed daily. Yet despite all the killings, the international community has done little to help.  The Central African Republic is

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America’s Oil Spill Epidemic

In the last three years there have been 10 oil spills by various oil companies and refineries.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

[soundcloud id='119995977'] In the last three years there have been 10 oil spills by various oil companies and refineries: Cushing, Oklahoma terminal spill, Mayflower Arkansas, Magnolia refinery spill, Yellowstone River, Montana, Barataria Bay - Gulf of Mexico, Kalamazoo river, Michigan, collision tanker Port Arthur, Texas, Trans Alaska

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African Women Embrace Politics, Offer Hope for Reform And Progress

Mandatory electoral quota systems in Africa have expanded women’s influence in government, potentially changing landscape of African politics for the long term.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

African politics is mostly viewed as a male-dominated arena, with many leaders having been been tyrannical dictators, and too few resembling grand statesmen such as Nelson Mandela.  But in recent years women leaders have emerged and begun to transform the political map of Africa as a whole. Today, Africa is leading the way in electoral reform,

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Despite Popular Support, States Move To Block Legislated Sick Days

The preemption laws against paid sick leave requirements fly in the face of bipartisan public support.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

Flying just under the political radar in state politics is the issue of paid sick days. Ten states — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin — have passed preemption laws that ban all cities and counties from enacting paid sick days bills, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg:

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Why Are Millennials Turning Up Their Noses At Politics?

How can they claim to be “community-minded” while they are so cynical about government?

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

Why is it that the ‘Millennial generation’ -- so widely discussed in the media -- is not really understood? The contrary nature of Millennials is making researchers scratch their heads and political analysts worry. The Millennials are a generation of twenty-somethings starting their adulthood at the turn of the millennium. Branded the Me, Me, Me

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The Hidden Racism Of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws

While attention focuses on the Voting Rights Act, the bulk of discrimination may be coming from laws forbidding ex-convicts from voting.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

Voting rights are still highly contested throughout the United States. Across the country, many states are passing stringent ID laws that make it hard for Americans – particularly African-Americans, the elderly, students and people with disabilities – to exercise their fundamental right to vote. But if you are a former convict, even with no parole

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Syria’s Chemical Weapons Are Gone. What Now?

Now that Syria dismantled its chemical weapons, the U.S. needs to stop rebel forces from committing more human rights abuses and war crimes.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

In a “no questions asked” deal, President Bashar al-Assad not only agreed to destroy the machinery used to produce chemical weapons, but also time-table the destruction of secret stockpiles of 1,000 metric tons of deadly chemicals. The question remains if this is enough for the U.S. to turn a blind eye to the killing of civilians in Syria,

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