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Mississippi Today named Silver Em winner by UM School of Journalism and New Media

Posted on: April 4th, 2023 by ldrucker
Headshots of the Mississippi Today staff.

Headshots of the Mississippi Today staff.

It’s the first time in history a news organization has won the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media’s prestigious Silver Em award.

Mississippi Today will receive the honor during the annual ceremony Wednesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. in the ballroom at the Inn at Ole Miss.

Adam Ganucheau, editor-in-chief of Mississippi Today, said he is proud that Mississippi’s largest newsroom was named a Silver Em winner.

“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,” he 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.”

Several Mississippi Today staff members are UM graduates, including Ganucheau and three more of the site’s top leaders: Mary Margaret White, CEO; Kayleigh Skinner, managing editor; and Lauchlin Fields, audience development director.

Other alumni include Devna Bose, health reporter; Julia James, education reporter; and Bethany Atkinson, community manager.

Ganucheau said the Mississippi Today team aims to make everyday Mississippians their reporting focus and to show that powerful leaders and systems either serve or don’t serve the people.

“Since our launch in 2016, we’ve built a loyal following of readers who trust us to call it like we see it in the halls of state government,” Ganucheau said, “and some of our more recent investigative and accountability work, in particular, is among our proudest.

“We continue to deploy a full staff of reporters to the Mississippi State Capitol every single day for the state’s deepest watchdog journalism of the Mississippi Legislature, and we cover a wide range of beats touching every corner of state government.”

Debora Wenger, associate dean and professor, said the school is proud to honor Mississippi Today.

“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,” she said. “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.”

Ganucheau said his staff also loves writing positive stories of Mississippi, including sports and broader cultural stories that show off the breadth of talent and creativity of the state.

“But lately, we’re especially proud of our investigation and close coverage of the sprawling Mississippi welfare scandal,” he said. “Mississippi Today poverty and investigative reporter Anna Wolfe revealed in our ‘The Backchannel’ investigation former Gov. Phil Bryant’s role in a sprawling welfare scandal. Each part of series delved further into Bryant’s previously unreported influence over the misspending of at least $77 million in federal funds intended to assist nearly 588,000 of the state’s poorest residents.”

Wolfe’s work on “The Backchannel” series won the 2023 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, which is considered among the most prestigious national investigative journalism awards.

Other finalists for the award were The New York Times, The Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“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.”

The Silver Em awards date to 1958, and recipients must be Mississippians with notable journalism careers or journalists with notable careers in Mississippi.

This story was written by LaReeca Rucker.

Latest COVID-19 Updates from the UM School of Journalism and New Media

Posted on: March 25th, 2020 by ldrucker
  • Apart Yet Together: UM School of Journalism and New Media faculty offer thoughts about school changes caused by COVID-19. – posted Thursday, March 26, at noon.
  • A message from the Dean of the School of Journalism and New Media about COVID-19 – posted Monday, March 16 at 3:48 p.m.
  • Samir Husni, Ph.D., has announced that the Magazine Innovation Center at the School of Journalism and New Media will postpone its ACT 10 Experience magazine conference until Monday, Oct. 5 through Wednesday, Oct. 7. The event with the theme “Change is the Only Constant” was originally scheduled to be held April 21-23 – posted Monday, March 16, at noon.
  • The University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media will postpone the Silver Em award ceremony that was originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. in the Jackson Avenue Center. We are hoping to reschedule the event.
  • The school has canceled the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association spring high school journalism convention that was originally set for Tuesday, March 31, on the University of Mississippi campus.
  • The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, which is housed inside the School of Journalism and New Media, has canceled its final three programs for the spring 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic, Charles Overby, chairman, announced on Friday. “We regret having to cancel these programs, but we agree that public safety is paramount.” The Overby Center’s decision is in line with the university’s announcement that it is canceling on-campus instruction and all events.  The Overby programs were to have been on March 24, March 31 and April 7. Decisions about fall programs will be made at a later date.

No other information has been provided at this time, but we will be updating this post as we receive more.

Journalism Work About the COVID-19 Pandemic

Professor Michael Fagan’s journalism and IMC students vlog about life in the time of the coronavirus

Publishing During A Pandemic: Magazine media industry leaders Talk to our own Mr. Magazine™

The Daily Mississippian’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Hotty Toddy’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

NewsWatch Ole Miss coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Oxford Stories coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

coronavirus

*The University of Mississippi announced yesterday that it will cancel classes March 16-20 and move classes online following an extended break.

UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce released a statement Thursday saying the decision is a response to the rapidly evolving situation with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

University leaders hope the decision will help maximize social distancing, and slow transmission of the virus.

Click this link to read the chancellor’s entire statement.

Click this link to read the latest University of Mississippi updates about COVID-19.

The last 48 hours have presented new challenges to our entire community. Our compassion and love for one another makes the Ole Miss family unique. Support members of our community who need us now more than ever. Give to the Rebel Relief Campaign – rebs.us/57wB30qpERX

It is important to understand the COVID-19 symptoms as well as preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of this virus. (THREAD)

The UM Call Center is now open to answer your questions. COVID-19 Hotline (662)-915-3600. Health Services Hotline (662)-915-3700. Available: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. all week.

Shepard Smith named University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media Silver Em Recipient

Posted on: January 30th, 2020 by ldrucker

A University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media student who grew up in Holly Springs and became a leading network news anchor is the latest recipient of the school’s prestigious Silver Em award.

Shepard Smith, who spent more than 20 years anchoring FOX News before leaving the network last year, will receive the award during a ceremony Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. in the Jackson Avenue Center.

“Shepard Smith embodies what a journalist should be — for decades, he has reported the news without fear or favor,” said Debora Wenger, assistant dean for innovation and external partnerships and professor of journalism. “Because he got his start in journalism here at the University of Mississippi, we feel extraordinarily proud of all he has accomplished. With this award, we hope to let him know how much he matters to our school and to a profession that many of us consider the foundation of our democracy.”

Shepard Smith speaks with students. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

Shepard Smith stands with UM School of Journalism and New Media Dean Will Norton, Jr., Ph.D. before speaking to the crowd in October. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

Dean Will Norton, Jr. said it was evident early on that Smith was going to be a dedicated journalist.

“When Shep Smith was in school, he always seemed to be in a hurry, carrying a big camera with lots of equipment trying to get to his next appointment,” Norton said. “As he looks back at those years, he credits journalism professor Jim Pratt, Ph.D. with preparing him for the profession.”

Norton said Smith worked tirelessly for the live student news program that Dr. Pratt began in the newsroom that is now Farley Hall Room 105.

“When viewers watch Shep today, they see someone devoted to the facts,” Norton said. “That same enthusiasm was so evident every day in those early years when he was on campus.”

Shepard Smith speaks with students. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

Shepard Smith speaks with Daily Mississippian editors Griffin Neal and Daniel Payne. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

A week after Smith announced his resignation from FOX News, he returned to the UM School of Journalism and New Media to speak to students. He said he learned truth is the foundation of journalism while pursuing his degree at UM. He also emphasized the importance of admitting and correcting mistakes.

“There’s no mistake you can’t undo,” he said during his talk with students in October. “You can correct every single mistake. You can stand up and be a human being about it and admit to those who count on you that you screwed it up. And you have to do the correction with the same fervor and emphasis that you made the mistake. Then you’re good.”

Smith said he attended the University of Mississippi on a music scholarship before studying journalism. He said his teachers emphasized journalism’s commitment to the public.

Shepard Smith speaks with students. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

Professors Samir Husni, Ph.D and Debora Wenger, Ph.D. speak with Shepard Smith, center, during his recent visit. All photos on this page are from professors and University Communications.

“You have a responsibility to people who rely on you to find out what in the world is going on,” he said in October, “and even if it’s just the car wreck, or the city council meeting, or the game you are writing about, you have responsibility to do as well as you can and tell the story as effectively as possible.”

Smith said he took that approach at Fox News.

“It’s a huge responsibility to have a platform where millions of people are watching you every day,” he said in October. “It’s really a big responsibility, and I learned that in Farley Hall.”

Shepard Smith will also join alumni Charles Overby and Curtis Wilkie as part of the Overby Center’s spring series of conversations. The public is welcome to attend the event on Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Auditorium.

For more information about our journalism or IMC programs visit jnm.olemiss.edu.

Tickets to the Silver Em event can be purchased here http://bit.ly/2SEtki5.

They are $65 per person or $500 for a table of eight.

If you have a question or comment about this story, email ldrucker@olemiss.edu.

AP reporter Emily Wagster Pettus wins Silver Em award

Posted on: March 31st, 2019 by ldrucker

The Silver Em Awards Ceremony was held Wednesday, April 3, at the Inn at Ole Miss, the same evening dozens of journalism and integrated marketing communication students received awards for excellence.

Emily Wagster Pettus, who has been reporting on Mississippi government since 1994, was selected as the 2018 Silver Em winner.

As news staffs shrink across the country, state government reporters like Pettus have become an endangered species. Those who remain in the role understand the importance of their work in our democracy.

Emily Wagster Pettus

“When there are fewer news outlets sending local reporters to cover the state capitol, there is less coverage of local issues considered by the Legislature,” she said.

Pettus, who grew up in Texas, spent a year between high school and college as an exchange student in West Germany, then attended the University of Mississippi, majoring in journalism and German. She graduated in 1989 and worked for nearly a year at the Vicksburg Evening Post.

In May 1990, she began working for The Clarion-Ledger as the Rankin County reporter. Two years later, she moved to Ocean Springs in 1992 to work as the newspaper’s one-person Gulf Coast bureau reporter.

“It was a great job because my editors were hours away and they trusted me to cover the biggest stories in the region,” Pettus said.

During the fall of 1993, Pettus was on loan from The Clarion-Ledger to USA TODAY in Virginia, working as a copy editor for the international edition of USAT. In 1994, she was back in Jackson working as a legislative reporter for The Clarion-Ledger.

She began working for the Associated Press in January of 2001 covering mostly Mississippi politics. Pettus said she’s aware the job is particularly important during challenging times for news organizations.

The latest Pew Research Center study about statehouse reporters found that there were around 1,500 U.S. journalists who work to inform the public about the actions and issues of state government. Of those, nearly half do it full time, averaging 15 full-time reporters per state, even though numbers vary per state, often depending on population.

Emily Wagster Pettus during a recent Overby Center program about Mississippi Politics.

“I always think it’s better having more reporters covering state government, obviously, to hold the government accountable to the general public,” Pettus said. “In Mississippi, we used to have a full-time press corps of eight people. That declined a while, but it has actually gone back up in the last couple of years.”

Pettus estimates the number of Mississippi statehouse reporters is equal to the Pew Research Center study’s national average of 15 per state.

The Pew study also reported:

  • Fewer than a third of U.S. newspapers assign any kind of reporter – full time or part time – to the statehouse.
  • A majority of local TV news stations – 86 percent – do not assign even one reporter – full or part time – to the statehouse.
  • About one in six, or 16 percent, of all statehouse reporters work for nontraditional outlets, such as digital-only sites and non-profit organizations.
  • Students account for 14 percent of statehouse reporters.
  • Around 9 percent of all state legislative reporters work for wire services like Pettus. The majority of wire service reporters work for the AP.

While her main responsibility has been covering Mississippi government – (you can read her observations in real time at the hashtag #msleg on Twitter) – Pettus said she has covered a variety of stories.

“One of the greatest things about having a general assignment job is I’ve gotten to cover some interesting civil rights stories,” she said. “In 2005, I covered the trial of Edgar Ray Killen, who was convicted for the 1964 killings of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in Neshoba County. In 2007, I covered the federal trial of (Ku Klux Klan member) James Ford Seale, who was convicted in the kidnapping that led to the death of two young black men, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, in Southwest Mississippi, also in 1964.”

Pettus said she is honored to be among other Silver Em award winners and proud she spent part of her career working for UM’s campus newspaper The Daily Mississippian and The Oxford Eagle.

Will Norton, Ph.D., dean of the UM School of Journalism and New Media, said Pettus is smart, a hard worker, and a terrific reporter.

“She has more than a quarter of a century experience,” Norton said. “She has devoted herself to covering Mississippi. She has reported in-depth, on deadline and always accurately . . . Emily is a person of integrity. She can be trusted.”

Curtis Wilkie, Overby Fellow and assistant professor of journalism, agrees that Pettus has earned the trust of her readers.

“She is one of the best reporters around and has been for as long as she has been reporting, quickly and reliably, all the news out of Mississippi for the Associated Press,” he said.

The Silver Em award dates to 1958, and recipients must be Mississippians with notable journalism careers or journalists with notable careers in Mississippi.

This article was written by LaReeca Rucker. For more information about the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media’s programs, email jour-imc@olemiss.edu.

 

University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media to present Silver Em to Hearst editorial director April 18

Posted on: April 11th, 2018 by ldrucker

Newell Turner, a former University of Mississippi magazine student who rose to become the Hearst Design Group editorial director, will be presented the Silver Em, the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media’s highest award in journalism, at a campus event April 18 at 5:30 p.m.

Turner is responsible for the collective editorial direction of ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful, and Veranda magazines. He served for five years as the 22nd editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, and in 2012 under Turner’s leadership, the magazine won its first National Magazine Award for general excellence—the industry’s equivalent of an Oscar—and was a finalist in the category in 2013.

Newell Turner

Dr. Samir Husni, professor and director of the Magazine Innovation Center, said the Silver Em is usually given to a native or resident of Mississippi who has excelled in the field of journalism and media. Turner was one of his early magazine students.

Husni said when Dorothy Kalins, then editor-in-chief of Metropolitan Home magazine, visited the Ole Miss campus in the mid-1980s, she was impressed by Turner’s passion for the magazine industry. “Newell, who was in my class, asked her a few questions that left an impact on her,” Husni said. “When she went back, she called and said, ‘Samir, I have an assistant position. I would like to offer it to Newell.’”

Husni said he encouraged Turner to take the job, saying: “If you are going to be in this profession, those opportunities don’t knock twice.” Turner took the job and eventually became editorial director of the Hearst Design Group, a leader in the publishing world with the development of innovative editorial production models and business strategies across print and digital platforms.

Turner has reported on interior design, architecture, product design and the lifestyles of upscale consumers throughout his 30-plus year career, which has included positions at House & Garden and Metropolitan Home. He was also the founding editor of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens and its sister publications: Palm Beach Cottages & Gardens and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Southern studies with advanced work specializing in magazine design from the University of Mississippi. Turner is a current member of the American Society of Magazine Editors and a trustee on the board of the New York School of Interior Design.

The Silver Em award dates to 1958, and recipients must be Mississippians with notable journalism careers or journalists with notable careers in Mississippi.

The Wednesday, April 18, Silver Em event and dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Auditorium in Farley Hall on the University of Mississippi campus. It will take place during the Magazine Innovation Center’s ACT 8 Experience April 17-20. The theme of the 2018 annual magazine industry conference is Print Proud, Digital Smart.

The Meek School of Journalism and New Media was founded in 2009, funded with an endowment gift by Dr. Ed and Becky Meek. It offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in both journalism and integrated marketing communications on the Oxford campus and in coordination with satellite campuses. Because of the increasing variety of media careers, enrollment continues to rise in the Meek School, and there are now almost 1,200 undergraduate journalism and IMC majors.

CONTACTS:

Dr. Samir Husni | 662-915-1414, 662-832-6247 | samir.husni@gmail.com
Charlie Mitchell | 662-915-7146 | cdmitch1@olemiss.edu

 

PREVIOUS SILVER EM HONOREES

1958 – George W. Healy Jr.

1959 – Turner Catledge

1960 – Kenneth Toler

1961 – John Oliver Emmerich

1962 –

1963 – George McLean

1964 – William B. Street

1965 – Purser Hewitt

1966 – Hal C. DeCell

1967 – Paul Pittman

1968 – Hodding Carter Jr.

1969 – Willie Morris

1970 – T.M. Hederman Jr.

1971 – Joseph R. Ellis

1972 – Wilson F. Minor

1973 – Mark F. Ethridge

1974 –

1975 – H.L. Stevenson

1976 – William Raspberry

1977 – Joe L. Albritton

1978 – James A. Autry

1979 – James Nelson

1980 – Mary-Lynn Kotz

1981 – Curtis Wilkie

1982 – Harold Burson

1983 – John O. Emmerich

1984 – Hazel Brannon Smith

1985 – Charles Overby

1986  – W.C. “Dub” Shoemaker

1987 – Charles Dunagin (2)

– Larry Speakes (2)

1988 – Edward Fritts

1989 – Rudy Abramson

1990 – Hodding Carter III

1991 – James L. McDowell

1992 – Rheta Grimsley Johnson

1993 – Dan Goodgame

1994 – Robert Gordon

1995 – Jere Hoar

1996 – Gregory Favre

1997 – Stephanie Saul

1998 – Lerone Bennett

1999 –

2000 – Jerry Mitchell

2001 – Bert Case

2002 – Ira Harkey

2003 – Jim Abbott

2004 –

2005 – Otis Sanford

2006 – Dan Phillips

2007 – Stanley Dearman

2008 – Ronnie Agnew

2009 – Stan Tiner

2010 – Terry Wooten

2011 – Patsy Brumfield

2012 – Greg Brock

2013 – W. Randall Pinkston

2014 – Fred Anklam Jr.

2015 – Bill Rose

2016 – Dennis Moore

Silver Em Presented to Alumnus Greg Brock

Posted on: October 12th, 2012 by

Greg Brock, center, received the 2012 Silver Em from the University of Mississippi based on his outstanding career in journalism. Brock, senior editor for standards at The New York Times, came to Ole Miss from Crystal Springs, Miss., and graduated in 1975. During his acceptance, he mentioned that Dr. Jere Hoar, right, professor emeritus, was the first journalism professor he met at Ole Miss and among those who had a lasting influence on his work. From left are Dr. Samir Husni and Dean Will Norton Jr. of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media faculty, Silver Em committee members; Brock; 2011 Silver Em recipient Patsy Brumfield of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal; and Dr. Hoar.