The Mississippi Free Press awards board keeps swelling! As of June 28, 2023, our team is up to 67 national and U.S. regional awards and finalist nods since we launched in late March 2020. Here they are with links to the work (see winners’ bios here). We will update this page from the top as more honors come in.
2023 Society for Professional Journalists Diamond Awards
1st Place, Robert S. McCord Freedom of Information Award: Nick Judin and Donna Ladd
Fighting for Public Access to the Mississippi Legislature
“The Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of and challenge to this artful and dangerous removal of the public business from the public eye is nothing less than inspiring. This is something that state government reporters and other journalists nationwide should be watching. It’s particularly important in this time when one party dominates so many state legislatures, and we know knowledge on how to retain power is being traded around the nation. The Mississippi Free Press could have just gone on getting some stories as best it could. But instead it fought a battle that needed to be fought.”
1st Place, Garrick Feldman Community Journalism Award: Nick Judin
Unsafe Conditions in Mississippi Delta Housing
Judges: “Judin’s work is the kind of incisive and insightful reporting one hopes for from local reporting. I was deeply impressed by Nick’s empathetic writing and aggressiveness in chasing the story. … There’s a good chance that his writing has made positive changes in the lives of the renters he covered, and making such a positive impact is a rare but vital role for local journalism to play.”
1st Place, Profiles: Aliyah Veal
“One Mother’s Solutions For Gun Violence”
Judges: “A sensitive and in-depth profile of a mother who organized assistance for others across the nation whose loved ones were victims of senseless shootings.”
1st Place, Special Section (Microsite): Aliyah Veal, DeAnna Tisdale Johnson, Acacia Clark, Kristin Brenemen, Donna Ladd Hinds County/Public Safety Focus of “(In)Equity and Resilience: Black Women, Systemic Barriers and COVID-19”
JUDGES: This is a remarkably strong entry full of both tragedy and inspiration. Every article is strong … (including)
Read original article by clicking here.