Mississippi Today

A change, and opportunity, for Mississippi Today

Published

2 years ago

October 24, 2023

My first day of work at Mississippi Today was the first day of the 2017 legislative session. At the time, the organization was mere months old, and it seemed like in those early days I spent more time explaining who we were than conducting interviews.

The organization was founded in 2016 to fill a hole in news coverage. As Mississippi newspapers were forced to cut back staff and printing days, it also meant fewer reporters at the state Capitol, where life-altering legislation was crafted and passed into law. Often, this occurred without much media coverage because of the constraints and limited resources newspapers faced.

Our goal back then was (and still is) to provide the citizens of the state with news and information about the goings-on at the Legislature, where elected officials made decisions that affect daily life without much oversight. We wanted to place more accountability on lawmakers and government officials and critically examine how they were, or weren’t, serving voters.

We flooded readers with updates on where bills stood in the legislative process, and as a result our profile and readership grew with politicos and people passionate about politics and policy. That wasn’t enough — we wanted our journalism to be appealing to people who don’t have time to sit through school board meetings or attend budget hearings.

Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of reflection on our stories and discussed how we can be better. We’ve taken a critical look at whose voices our journalism elevated and are still working to diversify that.

I’m proud of the work we’ve produced this year alone, closely covering the state’s decision to ban gender-affirming care for minors from the perspective of families and health care providers. When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Dobbs, we thoughtfully covered the repercussions with details no one else was reporting.

I could go on, but my point is that I’m so proud of the journalism this newsroom has produced as we’ve continued to grow and mature as an organization.

It’s time for me to grow, too. After nearly seven years, I’m leaving Mississippi Today to join another nonprofit news organization, where I’ll have the chance to work with newsrooms across the country and help them cover issues of race and equity in higher education.

The decision is a bittersweet one. Mississippi Today is where I’ve grown up as a journalist, starting as a legislative and education reporter and working my way up to become its first female managing editor. The journey has been, frankly, exhilarating and at times exhausting. I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a leadership role in the state’s flagship nonprofit newsroom during some of the most historic and transformative moments in recent Mississippi history.

When COVID-19 ravaged Mississippi at rates higher than almost anywhere else in the world, I struggled with our editor-in-chief to decide how and whether we should send reporters into the field at a time when the spread of the disease was incredibly high, but the need for information and reporting from the state’s hospitals and vaccination sites was critical.

As lawmakers debated changing the state flag featuring the Confederate battle emblem, I and other staffers worked around the clock. We literally chased down lawmakers in Capitol hallways to get them on the record about their position, all while fielding numerous very passionate and often critical emails, phone calls and even hand-written letters from readers about our coverage and the merits of changing the flag.

I’ve taken my role and the responsibility that comes with it seriously and, I hope, made decisions and changes that make this place a good one to work in. Whoever takes this position next has the opportunity to join a newsroom filled with people who care deeply about Mississippi and want to help make it a better place through quality accountability journalism.

These days, when our reporters make calls and do interviews, there’s a lot less explaining about who we are and what we do. That’s a testament to the work we’ve put in over seven years to become a news organization that writes for Mississippians, not just about them.

Mississippi Today has room to grow and audiences to reach, but I know I’ll keep reading. I hope you will, too.

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.