Mississippi Today has won the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media’s prestigious Silver Em award.
This year marks the first time a news organization has received the award. The Silver Em awards honor Mississippians with notable journalism careers or journalists with notable careers in Mississippi.
“We are very familiar with the prestigious Silver Em award and know full well that it is given to Mississippi journalists with exceptional journalistic contributions to the state or nation,” Editor in Chief Adam Ganucheau said. “We’re immensely proud our organization is now among that number. The UM journalism school has such a rich history of producing impactful journalists and journalism, and we’re proud to carry on that legacy in our home state.”
Ganucheau, CEO Mary Margaret White, Managing Editor Kayleigh Skinner, Audience Development Director Lauchlin Fields, Health Reporter Devna Bose, Education Reporter Julia James and Community Manager Bethany Atkinson are all UM alums.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for this award, because so many staffers in our newsroom are native Mississippians or went to college here and chose to stay and do local journalism in the place they care about,” said Skinner. “This award feels like a reminder to our newsroom and young journalists across the state that you don’t have to leave to make a difference.”
Mississippi Today was founded in 2016 as the state’s first nonprofit newsroom. Today the organization employs 18 reporters and editors to write about politics and policy across a myriad of beats including education, public health, justice, environment, equity and sports.
“We always strive to use our public service platform to the state’s advantage, offering our work completely for free to readers and to any Mississippi news outlet that would like to republish it,” Ganucheau said. “We see our role as helping bolster the state’s journalism outlets, not competing with them, and we firmly believe that the more sunshine that can be shed on our state’s leaders, the better.”
Mississippi Today will be honored during a ceremony on campus on April 12, at 6 p.m. in the ballroom at the Inn at Ole Miss.
“It is only fitting that our school, which is focused on instilling journalistic excellence in our students, has the opportunity to recognize one of the most innovative and high-quality news sites in the country,” UM School of Journalism Associate Dean and Professor Deb Wenger said in a university press release announcing the award. “The fact that Mississippi Today is producing journalism in service to our state just adds to the pleasure we take in honoring these fine reporters and editors.”
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