Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is demanding more retractions and apologies from Mississippi Today, a nonprofit newsroom that has focused much of its reporting in recent years on his role in the state’s $77-million welfare scandal that occurred while he was in office. Reporter Anna Wolfe’s Backchannel series “uncovers the depth of former Gov. Phil Bryant’s involvement within a sprawling welfare scandal,” the publication says.
The former governor’s new demand letter to the Ridgeland, Miss.-based publication’s CEO cites Mississippi Today’s claims that he “squandered” welfare funds and “steered” them to illicit causes. Neither federal nor state prosecutors have accused Bryant of a crime. The letter, known as a notice of suit, warns that Bryant is seeking punitive damages and would “likely recover attorneys’ fees and costs in a libel action against Mississippi Today.”
“The libelous statements at issue misstate the facts and misconstrue the truth. Moreover, they are integral to a malicious and concerted effort within Mississippi Today to harm former-Governor Bryant with a steady stream of outright lies, baseless speculation, and irresponsible innuendo,” the letter from Bryant’s attorney, William M. Quin, says. “Bryant demands that Mississippi Today publicly apologize for making the false and libelous accusations, that Mississippi Today publicly retract the false and libelous accusations, and that Mississippi Today publish full-and-fair corrections of the false and libelous accusations.”
The letter is addressed to Deep South Today, the umbrella nonprofit that controls Mississippi Today, as well as Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White. Former NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack founded both Mississippi Today and Deep South Today, which also launched Verite News in New Orleans and plans a chain of nonprofit publications in five southern states, also including Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee.
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Mississippi law requires a notice of suit before suing a news publication for defamation, as well as allowing 10 days for retractions before a lawsuit is filed. The complainant can, however, still file a lawsuit after retractions and begin the discovery process after the 10 days.
After an earlier demand letter from Bryant’s lawyers on May 10, Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White apologized for remarks she
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