The UM Emails
‘The Fabric is Torn in Oxford’: UM Officials Decried Racism Publicly, Coddled it Privately
UM Emails, Part I: On Sept. 21, 2018, Oxford and University of Mississippi community members flanked Meek School of Journalism and New Media Dean Will Norton as he denounced a Facebook post by Ed Meek, the school’s top donor and namesake. The Mississippi Free Press examined emails that show that, at the time, Norton knew…
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‘The Ole Miss We Know’: Wealthy Alums Fight to Keep UM’s Past Alive
UM Emails Part II: In late 2018, a number of University of Mississippi officials struggled to strike a balance between empathizing with aggrieved wealthy white donors who clung to the Ole Miss of yore and responding to a UM faculty and student body that, overall, felt the school was not moving fast enough into the…
UM’s ‘Culture of Secrecy’: Dean Quit as Emails Disparaging to Gay Alum, Black Students Emerged
UM Emails Part III: University of Mississippi Journalism Dean Will Norton resigned as email correspondences began to emerge with disparaging comments about gay alum Shepard Smith and about African American students.
‘Appalling’: UM Provost Decries ‘Hurtful’ Emails About Black Women, Gay Alum
Days after the Mississippi Free Press first reported on emails involving a University of Mississippi dean that included remarks disparaging to Black women students and a famous gay alum, UM Provost Noel Wilkin denounced the remarks in a YouTube video.
‘Our Last Refuge’: UM Faculty ‘Terrified’ as Officials Target Ombuds in Bid to Unmask Whistleblowers
Members of the University of Mississippi faculty fear the school’s effort to root out whistleblowers who exposed issues of racism in the administration could also expose private information about employees and graduate students who have confided concerns to the university ombudsman.
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UM Fires History Professor Who Criticizes ‘Powerful, Racist Donors’ and ‘Carceral State’
During a period of what University of Mississippi faculty are calling a time of increasing paranoia, the university is set to terminate a celebrated professor of history—the outspoken anti-racism and decarceral scholar, Dr. Garrett Felber.
‘Don’t Stir Up the Past’: Probing Mississippi’s Silences, Investigating Disparities, Honored Nationally
In last week’s episode of MFP Live, Mississippi Free Press publisher Kimberly Griffin and I had what many people sadly might see as a traitorous conversation with Mount Olive, Miss., native and author Ralph Eubanks. We’re supposed to be “patriotic,” we’re told, and that means just talk about the good and honorable parts of Mississippi’s…
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‘Accelerating’ a Stronger Mississippi Through Deep Journalism
We love that our readers appreciate the groundbreaking work of our editorial team. You deserve meaningful, rich, and dare I say fun member experiences. Our supporters are a vital part of our team. That cup of coffee a reader gives up every week or the cost of one takeout lunch shores up MFP’s truth-telling journalism…
Emails Show UM Officials’ Concern Over Fired Historian Criticizing Private Prison Ties
Before the University of Mississippi terminated Dr. Garrett Felber, an anti-racist history professor, his public criticisms of its ties to the private-prison industry drew concern from administrators on campus who had monitored social-media activities, emails this publication obtained show.
Ex-Dean Who Resigned As Racist ‘UM Emails’ Came Out Returns in New Campus Role
Former University of Mississippi journalism school dean Will Norton is returning to his old haunts in a new role in the building where he once ruled. Norton stepped down last year after a group of whistleblowers obtained emails that revealed how he tolerated racist comments about Black women students from a wealthy potential donor, as…
UM Awards Ombuds Who Fought to Protect Employees’ Confidentiality After UM Emails Series
The University of Mississippi is honoring Paul Caffera, the ombudsman who fought a two-year legal battle with the university to protect confidential information about employees who sought help from his office.