Wells-Barnett, Ida Bell
1862-1931 · Contribution: 1885-1931
Investigative journalist; anti-lynching crusader
Pioneered investigative anti-lynching journalism, documenting and statistically analyzing hundreds of lynchings in the 1890s after co-owning and writing for the Memphis Free Speech, work that earned her a posthumous 2020 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1862, Holly Springs, Mississippi
- Active since
- 1885
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- Pioneering investigative anti-lynching journalism
Impact on the world
Wells-Barnett invented data-driven investigative reporting on racial terror, exposing lynching as economic and political terrorism rather than punishment for crime, and building international pressure against it.
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Sources
- Book or scholarly workFind
Encyclopædia Britannica
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