Molly McCluskey
Independent Multimedia Journalist
Journalist. Bylines @TheAtlantic, @RollingStone, @WashingtonPost, @PacificStand, others. #AtlanticFellow w/ @LSEInequalities. Creator @DiplomaticaDC. Podcaster.
PROJECTS
The Irish Times
Varadkar and the media: reputation as progressive leader is tarnished
Taoiseach should position Ireland as a champion of a free and independent press – not side with Donald Trump.
citylab.com
The Reluctant Undertakers
WASHINGTON, D.C.—When Reverend Dr. Catriona Laing arrived at her office several weeks ago, she found a note from a parishioner that a homeless member of her congregation had committed suicide on a construction site nearby. Citing confidentiality, the city wouldn’t provide any information on the man’s death. Through the grapevine of churches like hers who serve the city’s homeless, however, she was able to determine the details, confirm that his next of kin had been notified, and host a memori...
Pacific Standard
Sacramento's Quest to End Solitary Confinement for Kids
The secret to ending solitary confinement at youth detention centers across the United States might just hide behind a nondescript door down a long hallway in a government building in Sacramento.
From the outside, the room appears like any other in the Sacramento Juvenile Detention facility, but inside, gauzy filters take the edge off the fluorescent lighting, and bright murals evoke an underwater vibe. This multi-sensory de-escalation room (MSDR), dubbed "the Cove" by staff and the youth the...
middleeasteye.net
Egyptian-Americans call on Washington to back human rights in Egypt
WASHINGTON, DC - “Sometimes I utter meaningless words just to remind myself that I am alive, and I can still speak.”
Those words were among the last Mohamed Soltan wrote in his journal as a political prisoner in Egypt, where he was given a life sentence after being swept up in the crackdown on pro-democracy activists during Egypt’s military coup.
Expecting to die in prison, Soltan was ultimately released after two years, having spent much of that time on hunger strike to protest his arrest an...
Pacific Standard
Australia's Ambassador Says His Country's Gun Laws Can't Save America
After each mass shooting in the United States, many gun control advocates point to Australia, where a bipartisan coalition passed sweeping gun legislation that effectively ended mass shootings and dramatically reduced gun violence nationwide.
More than 20 years ago, Australia had its own mass shooting, a devastating massacre in which a man with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire at a tourist destination on the Tasmanian peninsula, killing 35 and injuring 23. Twelve days later, a conservative ...
Rolling Stone
Musicians Add 'Counterterrorism Briefing' to Pre-Grammy Schedule
In light of the recent attacks on concerts in Manchester, Las Vegas and Paris, this year's Grammy weekend will feature a new component: a counterterrorism briefing for musicians with State Department and European Union officials.
The all-day training, held in a Times Square hotel suite on Saturday, will include briefings to a number of high-profile Grammy attendees, including Pink, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Run the Jewels and Young Thug, among others. While venues typically provide st...
The Washington Post
One-way flights make a comeback
Last March, when I decided to visit Bali, round-trip fares to the Indonesian island cost more than $3,000. But I only wanted to go one way, and because I was flexible about when I could leave, I was able to book a one-way ticket for $600 instead. I haven’t looked back since. After a month in Bali, I flew one-way to Singapore, then to Athens, and I’ll soon go to Istanbul, all for about half of what it would have cost me to fly to Bali and back home.
Not everyone can fly to Bali for an indefini...
The Atlantic
'What If This Were Your Kid?'
Young offenders in juvenile detention don’t get the best education. But those held in solitary confinement can go weeks, even months, without any instruction at all.
Pacific Standard
The Return of the One-Named Man
After 50 years of a mononymous life, the eldest son of civil rights legend Dick Gregory is ready to make a change.
devex.com
Q/A: MIT's Carlo Ratti on people-driven 'senseable' cities | Devex
Q&A: MIT's Carlo Ratti on people-driven 'senseable'...
The Washington Post
This former Philadelphia cop had an incredibly simple plan to keep kids out of prison. Don’t arrest them. - The Washington Post
This former Philadelphia cop had an incredibly sim...
The Atlantic
Public Universities Get an Education in Private Industry
Can academic researchers remain impartial if they are beholden to corporate money?
diplomaticourier.com
Employment Remains Elusive for Resettled Refugees
While nations around the world debate how many refugees to take in, and from which country and/or crisis, many fail to integrate employment plans into the mix. The result is a generation of refugees struggling to assimilate through one of the most universal of human desires—that of meaningful work.
diplomaticourier.com
Cash and Tech Replace Bags of Rice in Urban Humanitarian Aid - Diplomatic Courier
Cash and Tech Replace Bags of Rice in Urban Humanit...
Al Jazeera
Estonia redefines national security in a digital age - Al Jazeera English
Estonia redefines national security in a digital ag...