Watching Mississippi Excellence Come Together

There’s nothing fairly like watching your plan come collectively again and again. I had a kind of moments earlier this week after I opened an e-mail from the administrator of the Society for Skilled Journalists’ Diamonds Awards that listed journalists who had been finalists for 2021 work. The Arkansas SPJ chapter administers this southern journalism contest throughout the seven states that border that state, from Texas and Missouri down right here to Mississippi and Louisiana.

The MFP had a stellar displaying within the SPJ Diamonds contest for our 2020 work throughout our first 12 months publishing, with 15 awards, 11 of them first place. However this 12 months was much more particular to me, Writer and co-founder Kimberly Griffin and the workforce: 15 MFP workforce members’ names appeared in a thick paragraph beneath our publication’s identify. Most had been staffers, however a number of stellar freelancers are acknowledged together with Jackson Advocate Writer DeAnna Tisdale Johnson for our ongoing “Black Ladies, COVID-19 and Systemic Obstacles” collaboration, supported by the Options Journalism Community. (The Advocate-MFP collaboration honors two historic Black and civil-rights newspapers of the previous, by the best way, with the exact same names.)

No matter remaining award placement, we rejoice each recognition on the Mississippi Free Press, simply as we did when Kimberly and I helped run the Jackson Free Press. This issues in Mississippi, particularly when the work of individuals new to the occupation attracts regional and nationwide consideration. Mississippians deserve discover once we produce excellence, particularly contemplating that we’re finest identified for the alternative of it.

Our Diamonds finalist record, after all, included mega-award winners like Ashton Pittman, final 12 months’s Diamond Journalist of the 12 months—nevertheless it additionally consists of Mississippi journalists like Gulf Coast-based Stacey Cato who’ve labored onerous in native journalism for years drawing too little recognition. It lifts up freelance journalists like Noxubee County-raised Torsheta Jackson who’ve moved right into a extra rigorous model of systemic reporting within the final 12 months.

Vitally, the Diamonds are additionally honoring latecomers to journalism like Deputy Editor Azia Wiggins, Roger Amos and Leo Carney, who’re killing it on this trade and telling tales usually ignored about their communities, which most journalism under-serves. And though she was left off the preliminary awards record, the Diamond honorees additionally included my decade-plus colleague Artistic Director Kristin Brenemen for the attractive BWC Venture microsite design. (I nonetheless bear in mind her displaying up on the Jackson Free Press as an intern.)

Put merely, I used to be so rattling proud to see all of those deserving people, the overwhelming majority of whom grew up in Mississippi, in a single lengthy record for excellence in a state the place it’s so little anticipated. These people do the onerous work of shoe-leather reporting for his or her items, or in producing it, and so they’re hungry to be the very best at their craft. And though a column in The New York Instances simply belittled the necessity for it in journalism, these people use their very own lived experiences every day to do work others inside and outdoors the state miss or simply ignore. And other people over energy is on the coronary heart of the MFP workforce’s work, though that actually consists of holding the highly effective accountable for what they do to the folks, or don’t do for them.

To an individual, these people and others not included on this spherical, mutually assist and respect your complete workforce far past their rapid colleagues and editors, and so they all give Kimberly and me pleasure every day. Oh, and Kimberly made the record for her engagement work on the BWC Venture, that means two Black ladies publishers from Mississippi are SPJ Diamond Award finalists. I guess cash that’s a primary.

This, readers and supporters, is what it’s about. For this reason we began the Mississippi Free Press. To not win a boatload of honors (though that’s candy), however to encourage, practice and carry up excellence in our state on the highway to truth-telling, inclusion and needle-moving. And to do it every day. The plan is unquestionably coming collectively.

Thanks for supporting this rising workforce, particularly throughout this spring Options for Mississippi giving marketing campaign. And please turn out to be a MFP VIP Membership member and attend my Shut Up and Write Speak 4 tomorrow (Tuesday, April 26) at 6 p.m. after which be a part of famed songwriter, writer and Waynesboro, Miss., native Tena Clark’s member discuss at 6 p.m. on Could 10. Plus, you’ll get entry to all earlier member occasions together with an emotional and uplifting Randall Pinkston espresso discuss Saturday (all of us cried at his final story), and different talks by Angie Thomas, Stuart Stevens, Aunjanue Ellis and Reena Evers-Everette.

We admire you. Please maintain spreading the phrase concerning the Mississippi Free Press and our dedication to excellence and options in our residence state.

This MFP Voices essay doesn’t essentially characterize the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its workers or board members. To submit an essay for the MFP Voices part, ship as much as 1,200 phrases and factcheck data to [email protected] We welcome all kinds of viewpoints.