John Ryan

John Ryan is an awarding-winning journalist with close to 25 years of experience covering complex matters related to the criminal and civil justice systems, human rights, and global justice issues. Ryan co-manages Lawdragon’s day-to-day operations and provides regular coverage from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on the military commissions against accused terrorists. In 2019, he won a New York Press Club Award in Journalism for his coverage of the Sept. 11 case and was a finalist in 2021 for Best News Reporting by the Society of Professional Journalist’s New York Chapter (The Deadline Club.) His book on the 9/11 case and the military commissions, America’s Trial, is set for release in early 2025.

Prior to joining Lawdragon, Ryan was a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. The Los Angeles Press Club named him a “Print Journalist of the Year Finalist” all three years between 2003 and 2005, and he twice won the award for “Best Magazine Feature.” The Press Club awarded him a “Best News Feature, Runner Up” distinction for his feature story on the legal-defense efforts on behalf of accused terrorists Zacarias Moussaoui and Yaser Hamdi. John has traveled to South Africa, The Hague, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Rwanda to research and report on how post-conflict societies forge accountability mechanisms for mass atrocities and other human rights abuses. He has an MA in human rights studies from New York University and a BA from Colby College in Waterville, Maine.