Save the date: thursday, Oct. 30
2025 Mississippi Community Journalism Workshop
Turning big-picture ideas into street-ready trainings is the focus of our statewide fall convening at the University of Southern Mississippi. Join us on Thursday, Oct. 30, in Hattiesburg.
Join journalists, newsroom leaders, students and supporters for a one-day workshop focused on strengthening local news in Mississippi — starting at the community level.
Hosted in partnership with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at Southern Miss, the 2025 Mississippi Community Journalism Workshop will take place alongside the fall conference of the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, creating a unique opportunity to connect working journalists with high-school reporters from across the state.
Free and open to anyone working to support local news in Mississippi.
Registration opens in September. Sign up for updates.
Call for Presenters
We’re inviting working journalists and media professionals to raise their hands and take part.
Opportunities include:
SESSION FOR MSPA STUDENTS
Leading a 50-minute, hands-on workshop for high-school journalists on a specific reporting skill or storytelling technique.
PANEL FOR JOURNALISM PROFESSIONALS
Joining a practical “how-to” group session sharing tips and examples of social-media storytelling.
Participating in a “show-and-tell” to share how you’re using AI tools in the newsroom and how they work to support quality reporting.
This is a chance to share what you know, learn from your peers and help the next generation of Mississippi journalists see how they can turn their interest in journalism into a career.
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Thursday, Oct. 30
Scholastic journalists and professionals will have separate sessions, coming together for the keynote speaker.
8-9 a.m. — Registration & Coffee
9 a.m. — Welcome
9:30-10:30 a.m. — Session 1
10:30-11:30 a.m. — Session 2
11:30 a.m. — Networking Break
Noon — Lunch
1 p.m. — Keynote Speaker
1:30-2 p.m. — Networking Break
2-3 p.m. — Session 3
3-4 p.m. — Session 4
Explore previous events
Media leaders from across the state have come together for two previous Mississippi Local News Summit convenings at the University of Mississippi.
Mississippi Local News Summit 2025
May 15-16, 2025, Oxford, MS
Mississippi Local News Summit 2024
June 6-7, 2024, Oxford, MS
The Mississippi Scholastic Press Association hosts two statewide conventions each year. The fall convention is held at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, and the spring convention is held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
