My first day with the Mississippi Free Press was on Sept. 8, 2025, but this story begins on Aug. 2, 2024. Take this ride with me.
On that day, I was driving down Highway 49E in Leflore County to the Greenwood Commonwealth, my second day back. I spent two good years there before moving on to what we’ll call a really bad experience. I had moved to Starkville, Mississippi, and could not find a gig anywhere. But fortunately, the Commonwealth needed a reporter and I had a good first experience, so we both decided a reunion was in our mutual best interest.
I was locked into a lease, so I couldn’t move back to Leflore County immediately. My plan was simple: drive. I worked out a plan to stay with family in Cleveland on weeknights, commute to Greenwood on weekdays and stay home in Starkville on weekends. That comes out to about 500 miles of driving each week. It was a plan that would test my mental endurance. But it was a plan.
As I was driving down the highway, I got a call from a manager I had interviewed with. I somehow had become a finalist for an editor job with a publication owned by a very big company. He was calling to let me know they had selected another candidate, but he had such a good experience with me that he wanted to call me personally to let me know, rather than have me find out through a stock rejection email. I was disappointed, but appreciated his magnanimity. That was the only job rejection I ever felt good about, if only because I never thought I’d make it that far.
I kept up with that commuting schedule for six months, putting an estimated 15,000 miles on my car. The route to Cleveland was simple: north on 49, west on Highway 8. The route from Greenwood to Starkville was similarly straightforward: east on Highway 82.
I was scraping by financially and racking up credit card debt to keep myself afloat. Virtually every week night, I would take walks around Cleveland for exercise, listening to podcasts on Theranos, the Teapot Dome scandal, Watergate and Monica Lewinsky. I also spent a lot of time hanging out with my aunt’s cat, Lady Grey. She’s a very particular cat.
On Jan. 30, 2025, I drove to Oxford to cover the sentencing of former Express Grain president John Coleman. The next day, I finally moved from Starkville to Greenwood. There wasn’t much better relief than relieving myself of the albatross that was 2024.
While settled in Greenwood, the Commonwealth itself was changing. Our longtime editor and publisher, Tim Kalich, retired after a 42-year career. Only a couple of months afterward, the Commonwealth reduced its publishing schedule from five days a week to two.
And then there was my own sense of professional and personal fulfillment. I had a good experience at the Commonwealth, and was ready for the next step. But I also was unsure whether that next step would be another bad experience. I didn’t know if I wanted to stay in journalism. My first newspaper job ended with the paper’s closure, and the Commonwealth had cut down its production to save money. And I started late in journalism anyway, so being in my mid-30s, the idea of resetting my journalism career yet again and starting from the bottom of the ladder was no longer appealing.
So I needed a solution. And in the absence of direction, I tried to find one.
When Preparation Meets Opportunity
In June 2025, my cousin tagged me on Facebook with the Mississippi Free Press’ assistant editor job listing. I had heard of MFP and read a few stories in the past, but wasn’t intimately familiar with the organization. I learned as much as I could and decided to apply.
I interviewed with News Editor Ashton Pittman in July, and then interviewed in person with MFP co-founder Donna Ladd on Aug. 6. I remember the date because it was a Wednesday, only a couple of days after the one-year anniversary of Aug. 2, 2024, where I started this story. I also remember my tire light turning on only minutes after I started my trip and thinking how car trouble would be the perfect way to derail this journey. As I said, this is a ride.
I took an editing test and then Donna and I talked for a couple of hours. I left with a good impression of her and the organization as a whole. I suppose I left a good impression as well, because I was offered the job I have now a couple of weeks later.
The things that excited me were the opportunity to work with a larger team and to work on stories from around Mississippi, not just Leflore County. And of course, I always get value from working with different people so that I can take those experiences and improve my own work.
I haven’t been disappointed. The Mississippi Free Press is a great newsroom. Everyone is supportive of each other and we celebrate our individual and collective success. And best of all, it’s genuine.
A Newsworthy Year
Donna explained during our conversation that MFP created the assistant editor position primarily to take editorial pressure off Ashton so he can work on reporting projects. Between that and taking over the Voices section, she said I should expect my own reporting opportunities to be few and far between, at least for a while.
But as plans may be, plans will go awry. At the beginning of my second week, on Sept. 15, 2026, we received a tip that Trey Reed, a Delta State University student, was found hanging from a tree on campus. The following day, members of his family held a press conference in Grenada. I live about 30 miles south of Grenada, so I was able to travel and attend the press conference in person, contributing a small part to Nick Judin’s outstanding coverage.
I got to pitch in some ideas as well. Being in Greenwood, I could easily keep up with the saga of Greenwood Leflore Hospital, now UMMC – Greenwood. I returned to Cleveland, the town I grew up in, and wrote about the Cleveland School District’s emerging gardening program. And Jaylin and I reported on the West Bolivar Consolidated School District’s ongoing difficulties. We’ve hosted Solutions Circles for the first time in Greenwood, Greenville and Clarksdale. And I got a valuable lesson in vetting columns written using artificial intelligence.
Personally, I’m better positioned now than I’ve ever been in my adult life. I visited the Grand Canyon, one of the greatest experiences of my life, for my birthday this past April. I’m about a month away from having a $0 balance on my credit card for the first time (I’ve paid off more than $5,000 over the past year). Those are examples of things I always dreamed of doing but never thought I’d have the opportunity or the ability to accomplish them.
An Ongoing Journey
I’ve had a lot of help over the past year. Most of the reporters on our staff have primarily worked with Ashton or our Features Editor Nate Schumman. I know it can be difficult adjusting to new styles, especially when I’m learning as well. But all of our reporters have great attitudes.
One reporter I want to shout out is Heather Harrison, our state reporter. Heather produces a lot of stories, especially during the legislative session, and I think I’ve edited more of her stories than of any other reporter. She’s helped teach me the MFP style and philosophy in practice and I’ve learned a lot about our state government thanks to her stories.
Another person I want to share my appreciation for is Kristin Brenemen, our creative director. Kristin is an excellent troubleshooter and problem solver and was especially helpful in teaching me how to do all the things necessary so I could do my job efficiently and within the organization’s workflow.
Finally, I want to thank Ashton, who has given me the space to learn and grow in this role and allowed me to share my input and opinion. Ashton leads through example and I’ve tried my best to absorb as much information about his editing style and outlook as possible.
The work continues. Working for the Mississippi Free Press has been my best professional and personal experience. My journalism career hasn’t been long, but I’ve experienced the industry’s gamut, the good and the bad. It’s nice to have a place where I can finally plant my flag.
I hope you have enjoyed this year as much as I have. The Mississippi Free Press does valuable work and it is through your support that we have not just survived, but thrived. I hope you will continue to support us.
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
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