MFP Impact, Awards and Media Coverage – 2023

(See 2020, 2021 and 2022 Impact) Since the Mississippi Free Press launched on March 15, 2020, just as COVID-19 was hitting the state, the team’s journalism has had a significant impact, as well as drawn consistent attention from other media. Following is a reverse timeline of impact, media collaborations, and international, national, and state media mentions and pickups.

Feb. 22, 2023

SCOTUS Blog featured Ashton Pittman’s story about the high court’s dismissal of Buck v. Reeves, a case alleging racially-motivated gerrymandering of the states congressional districts in its Morning Read.  Election Law Blog also highlighted the story.

Feb. 21, 2023

The New Republic and Jezebel both featured stories that drew from MFP reporter Kayode Crown’s reporting on the passage of the REAP Act, legislation designed to prevent access to gender-affirming care for Mississippians under the age of 18, by the state senate.

Feb. 20, 2023

The People’s Tribune reprinted MFP reporter Kayode Crown’s story reporting the abuse of two Black men by deputies from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department.

Feb. 17, 2023

It’s a big day for awards at MFP! Two of our own have been chosen for highly prestigious honors, and we couldn’t be prouder of either of them!

Editor and Publisher has named MFP News Editor Ashton Pittman to its “25 Under 35” Class of 2023. 

And our Co-founder, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Kimberly Griffin was selected as one of the Mississippi Business Journal’s 50 Distinguished Leading Business Women. She was further honored today at the annual luncheon when she was chosen as one of the top ten finalists to Business Woman of the Year! 

Congratulations Ashton and Kimberly! 

Feb. 16, 2023

Shine My Crown, a digital platform representing the Black and Brown experience, drew from MFP contributor Leo Carney’s reporting in their story about the death of a Black trans woman in a Mississippi jail.

Feb. 15, 2023

The Guardian referenced reporting by MFP’s Kayode Crown in their story about a proposed new judicial district in Jackson.

Feb. 3, 2023

MFP Reporter Nick Judin’s first story as a ProPublica local journalist dug into proposed legislation that many fear will divert funds approved by Congress for repair of Jackson’s water system. The in-depth piece was a co-publication of ProPublica and the Mississippi Free Press. The story was then republished by national outlets such as  Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Popular Resistance, Portside, and Newsbreak.

Jan. 27, 2023

The impact of  the MFP and reporter Nick Judin’s legal complaint accusing the Mississippi House of Representatives of failing to abide by the Mississippi Open Meetings Act,  and the subsequent rejection by the Mississippi Ethics Commission of a recommendation affirming the House as a “public body” and therefore subject to the act, continues to make headlines, as seen in these stories published by the Associated Press, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal and  the Kosciusko Star-Herald. (See the 2022 Impact page for more.)

Jan. 25, 2023

BET and Newsone relied on the reporting of MFP reporter Kayode Crown to tell the story of Black FedEx driver D’Monterrio Gibson’s lawsuit in response to the attack on him and its aftermath.

Jan. 24, 2023

LGBTQ+ news outlet Them drew from reporting by MFP reporters Kayode Crown and Ashton Pittman for their story on anti-trans bills before the Mississippi legislature.

Jan. 20, 2023

MLK50 republished Donna Ladd’s editorial “White theft: The audacity of co-opting Dr. King.”

Jan. 19, 2023

Nonprofit public policy organization The Brookings Institute referenced two MFP stories about Jackson’s water crisis, and another written by our reporter Kayode Crown for the Jackson Free Press, in their essay “Why state and local relationships matter to national prosperity: A case for economic collaboration.”

Jan. 10, 2023

History News Network republished freelance writer Zach Borenstein’s story detailing his reasons for vandalizing a confederate statue on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Borenstein’s piece was originally published as an MFP Voices story.