Melissa Lewis, Author at Reveal

Billey Joe Johnson Jr. smiles broadly at the camera.

Mississippi Goddam

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 7: Reasonable Doubt

by Al Letson, Jonathan Jones, Michael I Schiller, Nina Martin, Steven Rascón, Nikki Frick, Michael Montgomery, Melissa Lewis, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Claire Mullen, Najib Aminy, D. Victoria Baranetsky, Zulema Cobb, Taki Telonidis and Brett Myers September 16, 2023September 11, 2023

New revelations cast doubt on the official story that Billey Joe Johnson accidentally killed himself.

The Johnson family stands in front of an old oak tree.

Mississippi Goddam

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 6: Mississippi Justice

by Al Letson, Jonathan Jones, Michael I Schiller, Nina Martin, Steven Rascón, Nikki Frick, Michael Montgomery, Melissa Lewis, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Claire Mullen, Najib Aminy, D. Victoria Baranetsky, Taki Telonidis, Brett Myers and Zulema Cobb September 9, 2023September 7, 2023

There have long been concerns about the quality of investigations into suspicious deaths of young Black men in the state, especially when police are involved.

Claws grab garbage from a giant pit to transfer it to boilers.

Climate Change

It’s Not Easy Going Green

by Will Evans, Najib Aminy, Jenny Casas, Katharine Mieszkowski, Kate Howard, Melissa Lewis, Nikki Frick, Steven Rascón, Zulema Cobb, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Claire Mullen, Taki Telonidis, Brett Myers, Al Letson and D. Victoria Baranetsky July 22, 2023August 1, 2023

There’s a way to “fight” climate change that’s cheap, popular and completely ineffective.

A portrait of a young woman with long, dark hair, standing amid plants and looking off into the distance.

Healthcare

They Followed Doctors’ Orders. The State Took Their Babies.

by Shoshana Walter, Melissa Lewis, Najib Aminy, Ike Sriskandarajah, Nina Martin, Taki Telonidis, Nikki Frick, Fernando Arruda, Jim Briggs, Steven Rascón, Zulema Cobb, Al Letson, Brett Myers, D. Victoria Baranetsky and Claire Mullen July 1, 2023September 12, 2023

Medications like Suboxone help pregnant women safely treat addiction. But in many states, taking them can trigger investigations by child welfare agencies that separate mothers from their newborns.