Ringing in the New Year is often an optimistic celebration for what may lie ahead. We reflect on all the previous year presented, acknowledging our hurdles as individuals and as a state and nation while crossing our fingers that we as a collective can evolve for the better.
We should also recognize our triumphs. In 2023, the Mississippi Free Press earned one of only four Izzy Awards for outstanding achievement in independent media for exposing corruption. Mississippi Business Journal named MFP Co-founder, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Kimberly Griffin as one of its 50 Distinguished Leading Business Women for the year. LION Publishers presented the 2023 LION Local Journalism Public Service Award to the Mississippi Free Press for the Mississippi Trusted Elections Project.
Other media organizations have recognized our newsroom and dedicated staff this year, with the Institute for Nonprofit News even publishing an in-depth story about the MFP. The piece is a case study of the development of our organization from its earlier-than-planned pandemic launch into the national media powerhouse it is today.
Personally, I have much to smile about when I think back on 2023. For one, I married my partner of five years—twice! I reconnected with friends I have not seen in ages but who still mean a lot to me, and I have developed friendships with new people I hope to continue seeing in the coming years.
For better or worse, 2024 is going to shake things up, and I’m a little nervous about these unpredictable potential changes.
On the home front, my spouse is returning to school in a couple of weeks, having enrolled at Hinds Community College to finish a degree in graphic-design technology before continuing their education and ultimately earning a Master of Library Sciences. They want to become an archivist or a museum librarian who specializes in digitizing and digitally restoring older books and documents.
I am excited for them to have such a concrete goal they are working toward, even if taking on student loans and working fewer hours may place a strain on our monthly joint income. And we are still paying off the wedding and other unavoidable expenses that arose this last year. So, this change in my day-to-day life is a little scary, but I trust that the eventual endgame will be worthwhile.
On the national front, we will witness another historic election season come November 2024. With so many Americans divided, I worry how political preferences may affect friendships and familial relationships. I have felt distant from many whom I otherwise love since I realized how much my priorities differ in some cases. I am tired of the drama and hope that we all keep empathy and compassion in our hearts as we march toward the polls.
Whatever my concerns, though, in this I am assured: The Mississippi Free Press will continue to report on issues and circumstances that matter, to showcase the diversity of this state, and to cultivate a culture of finding strength in truth.
If you support our mission, I encourage you to consider donating so that we kick off the New Year with the resources we need to expand our scope and keep our readers informed on Mississippi’s many goings-on. So many of you already donate, and donate generously, but every additional dollar helps our newsroom grow. I thank you.
