Mississippi Press and its members will be the April 22 subject of a weekly lecture series at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
The program, "Mississippi Newspapers and the Impact of Local Journalism," coincides with Mississippi Press' 160th anniversary. Charles Overby, retired chairman of the Freedom Forum and editor of the Clarion Ledger when it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, will moderate the panel discussion.
"History is Lunch" is a weekly series sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. There is no cost to attend, and attendees are encouraged to bring lunch with them to the program or purchase it in the museums café. The program begins at 12 noon.
Overby is chairman and founder of the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics at the University of Mississippi, his alma mater. For 22 years, he was chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum, a non-partisan foundation that educates people about the press and the First Amendment. The Clarion Ledger was awarded the Pulitzer for Public Service for its coverage of the late Gov. William Winter's efforts to reform public education in the state.
The paper also won the 1983 Roy W. Howard Public Service Award and the Education Writers Association's Grand Prize for the same work.
Mississippi Press was established in 1866 at the end of the Civil War. Through the years it has championed the importance of local news and honored hundreds of journalists each year for their work in covering local communities.
Also participating in the discussion will be Anita Lee, longtime correspondent for the Sun Herald, who worked on the news team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2006 following the paper's coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Natalie Perkins, editor and publisher of The Deer Creek Pilot, will discuss her role as the local editor and with the Sharkey County emergency management office in the wake of the devastating 2023 EF-4 twister that decimated the small town of Rolling Fork. Jamie Patterson, editor and publisher of The Yazoo Herald, will discuss her career covering news and awards she has earned for investigative and general news reporting.
The programs are livestreamed over the MDAH Facebook page and YouTube account.
For more information, contact Layne Bruce, 601-981-3060, ext. 4.
