Cody Copeland is an opinion journalist for the Austin American-Statesman. Previously at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, his accountability reporting uncovered misconduct in state-level agencies down to the once boring school boards. His investigation into the Texas Commission on Jail Standards revealed the agency violated the 2017 Sandra Bland Act on jail death investigations for over seven years. The commission complied with the law less than a month after publication.

Cody was previously based in Mexico. His coverage of a group of political prisoners in Oaxaca played a critical role in pressuring the authorities to finally release them. His reporting for Courthouse News was described by journalists at Forbes and Reforma as broader, sharper and more frequent than other established U.S. outlets. In May 2023, the former counted an article of his among its Five Must-Read Articles About Modern Mexico.

His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Insider, Lapham’s Quarterly, Remezcla, The Rio Grande Review and others. He is also the author of the latest edition of Moon Oaxaca, published in May 2020.