The Mississippi Free Press is thrilled to announce we’ve been selected as a 2025 Report for America host newsroom partner. We’re joining an expanding network of more than 400 newsrooms this critical nonprofit program has supported. Through this partnership, our nonprofit can expand our ranks yet again and provide more award-winning journalism to our readership. 

This will mark our third consecutive year of receiving this honor, with education equity reporter Torsheta Jackson launching our partnership in 2023 and Spanish-speaking environmental reporter Illan Ireland joining us this summer.

We will be hiring a journalist to cover the Mississippi Delta, thanks to the RFA. Those interested in this position should apply here by Feb. 3, 2025, for positions beginning July 7, 2025.

“We’re thrilled to expand our work with the help of Reporter for America,” Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Kimberly Griffin said. “We’re looking forward to listening deeply to folks in the Delta through our signature Solutions Circles. The Delta has a rich history with complex stories that Mississippi, and the nation needs to see more of.”

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover underreported issues and communities. Their proven partnership model harnesses the skills and idealism of emerging journalists alongside the innovative spirit of local news. 

This two-year program (with an option for three) provides numerous benefits to its corps members. Beyond covering up to half of the journalists’ salaries, it offers ongoing training, mentorship from leading journalists, peer networking and memberships to select professional organizations.

We can’t wait to welcome our new Report for America corps members in the summer of 2025. Please support this vital mission to preserve local news.

The mission of the Mississippi Free Press, a new nonprofit journalism website and multimedia network that launched in March 2020, is to publish deep public-interest reporting into causes of and solutions to the social, political and structural challenges facing all Mississippians and their communities. Mississippians need to know each other across regions and share our challenges and solutions despite geographic and other differences. We are introducing Mississippians to each other through our deep accountability reporting and compelling people-focused storytelling, and by convening online and physical “solutions circles,” using our statewide networks to ensure inclusivity and representation.