Mississippi News
Editor’s note on our welfare coverage
Editor's note on our welfare coverage
The conservative blog Y'all Politics published on Sept. 21, 2022, that my mother, in her role as special assistant attorney general, had signed off on the language of a lease agreement to construct a University of Southern Mississippi volleyball stadium — a project now a focus of the state's ongoing welfare scandal. I learned about this on the evening of Sept. 20, 2022, when the blog's editor began calling around for comment.
Without hesitation, I consulted with Mississippi Today colleagues and with veteran journalism leaders outside our newsroom about what had been, to that point, unknown to everyone on our staff. We immediately implemented a permanent policy that would allow any reporting that may present a conflict to go forward without my direction. And after continued internal discussions, we decided to add an editor's note to each future story mentioning the USM volleyball project, including retroactively adding the note to one earlier story that published after we learned the information.
None of this changes nor challenges a thing about Mississippi Today's relentless reporting about the misuse of federal welfare funding intended to help the state's most vulnerable people. In our three-plus years of coverage of the state's welfare scandal — including breaking the very first story about the USM volleyball stadium being funded with welfare dollars — we have never stopped even an inch short of reporting the whole truth for any reason, whether personal or political.
Multiple journalists on staff, independent of my involvement, reviewed the information published by Y'all Politics and determined we have sufficiently and consistently reported that the Attorney General's Office signed off on the volleyball contract. You can read some of that reporting here, here, here and here. And for years, we have made deliberate editorial decisions to not name dozens of state employees at multiple agencies who reviewed welfare-related documents or sat in relevant meetings but ultimately had no authority over how funds were spent.
That political actors are willing to leverage the bureaucratic role my own mother played in state government to try to discredit Mississippi Today's reporting is notable. But it should not distract readers from the real story: Powerful Mississippians appear to have used the state government system to steer millions away from our neediest residents into their own pockets and the pockets of their wealthy friends.
We will follow and report the story wherever it leads us, just as we always have.
READ MORE: Our full investigative reporting on the Mississippi welfare scandal
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Jury deliberations underway in Beth Ann White retrial
SUMMARY: Beth Ann White is currently on trial for causing a crash that killed a mother and her six-month-old son, while also leaving the mother's two other children with brain and spinal injuries. White's blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, and she has been indicted on four counts of aggravated DUI. After the first trial ended with a hung jury, White was re-indicted and the retrial is currently ongoing. The defense is arguing whether White was actually under the influence at the time of the crash. The state has presented its case and the defense has not called any witnesses.
The post Jury deliberations underway in Beth Ann White retrial appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Altercation at Mississippi police department leads to officer-involved shooting
SUMMARY: Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting at a Mississippi police department in Mendenhall. The incident occurred on May 2 while an officer was booking a suspect on domestic violence charges. An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, resulting in the officer discharging his weapon and shooting the suspect. The officer sustained minor injuries, and the suspect was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident, and their findings will be shared with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
The post Altercation at Mississippi police department leads to officer-involved shooting appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Warm Thursday ahead of unsettled weekend – Home – WCBI TV
SUMMARY: Temperatures in Columbus, Mississippi will remain in the upper 80s on Thursday with a chance of rain. Expect filtered sun and possible showers or storms in the evening. Overnight, isolated showers are possible with lows in the middle 60s. Friday may see periods of steady to heavy rain with uncertain timing. The weekend will feature isolated rain on Saturday and scattered showers and storms on Sunday. Next week, there will be a focus on increasing heat and humidity with the potential for the first 90-degree day on Wednesday and growing storm potential later in the week.
The post Warm Thursday ahead of unsettled weekend – Home – WCBI TV appeared first on www.wcbi.com
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