Journalism as an industry has a reputation for “doom and gloom.” Granted, yes, circumstances often unfold in this state, nation and world that range from bummer to tragedy, and I myself have felt the weight of news fatigue. No matter how saturated our feeds may be at times, I firmly believe in finding reasons to stay positive. Hunting for silver linings can be a great way to avoid or overcome media overload.
Fortunately, for Mississippi Free Press readers, the hunt will soon be over.
To provide an avenue for uplifting journalism to reach the readers who want—or at times, need—it, we are launching a new, biweekly newsletter called MFP Upbeat. The first iteration is scheduled to launch on Mother’s Day, May 10, and the subsequent installments will release every other Sunday.
We realized that our Saturday newsletters recapping each week’s stories were getting progressively longer. This growth is due to our team of reporters and editors expanding in recent years, which has been a real boon to our mission of being a repository for truth-telling journalism within our state. But we figured that we could slim down our “This MFP Week” newsletters by moving our Features section into its own newsletter.
Mind you, not all features are necessarily positive at all times. Some investigative, in-depth features raise awareness of social challenges and expose some of the ugliness that goes along with placing those topics in context. On the flip side, some news stories can be notably positive, such as Nick Judin’s relieving follow-up story on Israel and Max Makoka finally returning home to Diamondhead, Mississippi, after ICE took them into custody last week.
As the primary editor heading MFP Upbeat, I will do my best to cultivate a lineup of stories that further my goal of showcasing the breadth of goodness Mississippi has to offer, if you know where to look. I’m talking Mississippian artists, athletes and entrepreneurs. I’m talking local eateries. I’m talking community resources. I’m talking annual events and other celebrations.
Our first iteration of MFP Upbeat will be a bit chunkier than later issues, as I will curate a collection of stories from the start of 2026 to the present. In addition to each two-week period’s features and other positive stories making that Sunday’s newsletter, MFP Upbeat will include a regional map of Mississippi specifying which areas are represented by the lineup; a rotating trilogy of stories from our archives sure to make someone smile; a description of an upcoming event so that you can round out your to-do list; and, if I can swing it, a few doodles in the spirit of the comics strips commonly printed in physical newspapers at one point in time (fingers crossed).
Now, the important thing to know is that MFP Upbeat will be 100% opt-in. No one will be automatically subscribed to this Sunday newsletter. We are building this newsletter from the ground up. If you want to read our happiest news and features, watch our mfp.ms/newsletter page for a sign-up option set to go live in the coming business days. Additionally, we’ll be setting up a social-media page on Bluesky for our readers to follow. Stay tuned.
And if you like what you see, encourage a friend to subscribe as well. As always, our newsletters are completely free, with our journalism being supported by the dollars those among our readership with the means donate.
To echo the words of MFP Audience Manager and Developer Chris Ellis, who helped me workshop this idea into its current form, “I am very excited for this.” Our team is optimistic that MFP Upbeat will help lead the online Mississippi news space into a more positive direction. At least, I hope so.
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.
