Mississippi Local News Summit 2024
The seeds of Press Forward Mississippi were planted on June 6-7, 2024, when the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media hosted the state’s first Local News Summit in Oxford.
Photos by Zoe Keyes for the 2024 Local News Summit
About the 2024 Local News Summit
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 hosted by the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media, and made possible through a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.