2024

Mr. Jason Riley is an opinion columnist at The Wall Street Journal, where his column, Upward Mobility, has run since 2016 and covers topics of politics, economics, education, immigration, and race. He has also served as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute since 2015 and provides television commentary for various news outlets, including Fox News. He also speaks frequently on ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, and NPR.

Mr. Riley is the author of five books: “Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders” (2008), which argues for a more free-market-oriented U.S. immigration policy; “Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed” (2014), which discusses the track record of government efforts to help the black underclass; “False Black Power?” (2017), an assessment of why black political success has not translated into more economic success; “Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell” (2021), which tells the story of one of America’s most influential conservative thinkers; and “The Black Boom” (2022), an examination of economic inequality and what policies helped close racial gaps in joblessness, income, poverty, and more, prior to the pandemic.

Mr. Riley joined the Journal in 1994 as a copy reader on the national desk in New York. He moved to the editorial page in 1995, was named a senior editorial page writer in 2000, and became a member of the Editorial Board in 2005. Born in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the SUNY-Buffalo. He also previously worked for USA Today and the Buffalo News.