Author and editor James Ledbetter was a beloved friend, Economic Hardship Reporting Project Board member and key ally in the fight for a more just America. He was a wildly generous editor and mentor to other journalists, most notably to those who have historically found the media industry less than hospitable, starting with the distaff side.
You can read some of the splendid and feelingful tributes to him online by his friends and colleagues (see here and here, but there are hundreds).
Jim, as he was called by most, was hilarious, erudite and deeply kind. His humor and omnivorous intellect fed his own critical writing. And both qualities added a special luster to his work as an editor. He was also an excellent co-conspirator for the work we’re doing at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism non-profit dedicated to covering economic inequality. He was proud to help us support financially stressed and underrepresented freelance journalists, who in EHRP’s case are also majority female.
Jim was embraced by all strata of society yet remained a dedicated anti-snob to the end. He gave immensely to those who were vulnerable and nurtured talent wherever he saw it. At every board meeting, he celebrated how EHRP enshrined the reporting of those usually left out of the mainstream media. He also chimed with EHRP’s values and outlook, including our appreciation of darkly humorous essays about privilege and poverty.
We are mourning yet we also hope to celebrate Jim’s legacy. To this end, Jim, his family and EHRP have established the James Ledbetter Reporting and Criticism Fund. In lieu of flowers, Jim’s family has asked that those who loved him and his work make a donation to this program, which will underwrite independent journalists and critics covering wealth, power and their misuse, along with other stories that embody Jim’s qualities of mind. May Jim’s scimitar-sharp wit, magnanimity and brilliance live on.
To learn more about the program, click here.
To donate, complete the form here.