Local News Summit
The statewide media convening that marked Press Forward Mississippi’s launch in 2024 returns this year, as the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media hosts the second annual Mississippi Local News Summit on May 15-16, 2025.
The Mississippi Local News Summit is a two-day event that brings together media leaders from across platforms and business models—from legacy newspapers to digital startups, nonprofit newsrooms to commercial broadcasters. The goal is to strengthen connections, identify shared priorities, and explore collaborative solutions for sustaining quality local journalism in Mississippi.
Full agenda coming soon. Save the date and pre-register today.
Photos by Zoe Keyes for the 2024 Local News Summit
A Growing Effort to Strengthen Local News
The inaugural Mississippi Local News Summit in 2024 was an unprecedented gathering in the state, bringing 86 attendees together at the University of Mississippi for two days of discussion, problem-solving, and networking. Participants included reporters, editors, producers, and publishers from a range of media platforms—local newspapers, television and radio stations, nonprofit newsrooms, and emerging digital outlets.
They were joined by major national philanthropic organizations, including Press Forward National, the Knight Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and Rebuild Local News, as well as representatives from City Bureau’s Documenters Network, a program that trains and pays community members to cover local government meetings, and Emerson Collective, a social impact organization that supports journalism and civic engagement initiatives. The first convening was made possible through a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.
Strengthening Mississippi’s News and Information Ecosystem
The 2025 summit will be sponsored by Press Forward Mississippi as the first initiative from its pooled fund, housed at the CREATE Foundation and stewarded for statewide benefit.
Mike Clayborne, CEO of the CREATE Foundation, emphasized that bringing media leaders together is a key strategy for supporting a more sustainable future for local journalism.
"Across Mississippi, journalists and media leaders have different business models, different challenges, and different perspectives—but they share a belief that strong local news is critical to the future of our communities,” Clayborne said. “By coming together, they are building relationships and finding ways to work across those differences to serve the people of Mississippi better."
Unlike industry-focused journalism organizations, Press Forward Mississippi is a coalition of funders focused on community impact. Journalism is not an end in itself—it is a tool for stronger communities, ensuring that people have access to the information they need to make informed decisions, engage civically, and work toward solutions.
A Catalyst for Statewide Investment in Local News
Earlier this year, Press Forward Mississippi received a $250,000 Catalyst Grant from Press Forward National to launch projects that can strengthen Mississippi’s news and information ecosystem. The CREATE Foundation has also committed $100,000 toward the effort.
The goal is to use this funding as seed capital for initiatives that promote sustainability, collaboration, and shared resources across the state’s media community.
Press Forward Mississippi will be working with journalists and media leaders to identify priorities that fit its mission—while also engaging Mississippi-based donors, businesses, and institutions in opportunities to support local news that benefits communities.
