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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

This strapping young Jacksonian is the JFP’s own Adam Lynch back in the ’80s. Courtesy Adam Lynch

In honor of this week’s special ode to the onerous ’80s, today’s Person of the Day is a JFP staffer pictured here when he was a strapping young Jacksonian, complete with gold chain and muscle shirt. Can you tell who this is? Hint: He’s winning a big award Wednesday night in Jackson.

Yes, this is Adam Lynch, the JFP’s senior reporter who has been with us nearly five years now. Adam has won numerous national reporting and writing awards for the Jackson Free Press, on his work about Frank Melton—he was the reporter who broke the Ridgeway Street duplex story on a Friday afternoon in 2006—and other vital community news.

The Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities is honoring Adam, along with the Jackson Free Press, with its media award at the Jackson Hilton during the group’s 20th anniversary celebration beginning at 6 p.m. In her letter announcing the award, Executive Director Mary Troupe stated:

“The choice of Jackson Free Press and Adam was an obvious one for us this year. The paper has promoted public awareness, provided accurate information to the public on issues such as lack of accessible transportation in the City of Jackson, Medicaid cuts to speech therapy for children birth to 21, legislative issues that touch the most vulnerable of our citizens—truly helping us to spread our vision that one day, all people will live, work, learn and play in a community based on abilities not disabilities.

“Adam has been out front and fearless in his reporting and has generated discussion and a new-found awareness to the general public on issues they may never have considered.”

The Jackson Free Press is very proud of Adam, and we thank MCCD for the honor.

And remember to pick up the JFP Wednesday to see more ’80s pictures. Know, though, that we didn’t all look quite as dashing then as Mr. Lynch.

Oh, and nice chain, Adam.

Previous Comments

What a stud! I loved Adam in the John Hughes movies.


Nice chain. If this guy came to me and said I owed him money, I would pay!


Congratulations, Adam. You are really a class act and a great journalist. I am so proud of the work you did with so many issues over the years and especially the melton case. Telling the TRUTH and reporting FACTS seem to be your forte. Now that you have the attention of the world, continue to “rest your lever” and move it.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.