Mississippi Local News Summit 2025

Join us as media leaders from around the state come together on May 15-16, 2025, at the University of Mississippi.

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.

This agenda is in development. Save the date and register today.

Thursday, May 15

Events will be held at Farley Hall and Overby Center.

  • This hands-on workshop helps newsrooms think strategically about grants—how to tell whether an opportunity aligns with their goals, how to make a clear case for the value they bring, and how to deliver on what funders expect. Learn how to gauge funders’ intent, frame your strengths effectively, and plan ahead for how you’ll track and share results.
    Led by: Sarah Mason, Ph.D., and Rachel Scott, Ed.D., Center for Research Evaluation at Ole Miss

  • This time will be reserved for media members, universities and other partners to connect with each other around ideas for collaborative efforts.

    For help spreading the word about a specific collaboration idea you’d like to explore, email us at pressforward@createfoundation.com.

  • Megan Griffith-Greene (Poynter Institute, formerly Washington Post) provides an overview of the national landscape for philanthropy in local journalism, and hears viewpoints from leaders at Mississippi’s community, private and corporate foundations.

  • Join us at Circle and Square Brewing, adjacent to the Ole Miss campus at 100 Depot Street.

Friday, May 16

Events will be held at Johnson Commons.

  • Andrea Hickerson, Ph.D., Dean, UM School of Journalism and New Media; and Mike Clayborne, CEO, CREATE Foundation

  • In an age of information overload, local news needs to do more than just inform—it has to connect. This session explores how outlets are learning to listen more deeply, reflect the perspectives of their communities, and deliver coverage in ways that meet people where they are—culturally, geographically, and digitally.

    In conversation: Maya Miller, Mississippi Today; Charles Coleman, StoryWorks Theater; Liz Worthington, American Press Institute

  • Local news is no longer valued only by how many people see it—it’s also about who’s being served, what changes because of the coverage, and how clearly the organization communicates its own story. This session looks at how media organizations can build values-driven brands, demonstrate civic impact, and communicate their own value to funders, sponsors and communities. And advertisers, too.

    In conversation: Megan Griffith-Greene, Poynter; Kimberly Griffin, Mississippi Free Press; Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today; Clay Mansell, The Clinton Courier

  • With newsroom resources stretched thin, new approaches are emerging to strengthen local coverage and rebuild trust. This session explores a range of collaborative and creative models that are helping local newsrooms do more with less and serve their communities more effectively.

    In conversation: Marlon Walker, The Marshall Project; Ed Simpson, Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi/Roy Howard Center for Community Journalism; Blake Kaplan, McClatchy/The Sun Herald; Liz Worthington, American Press Institute

  • Strengthening local news means investing in the people who will shape its future—starting with young people gaining experience in journalism today. This session explores how training programs, classrooms, and mentorship opportunities are building a pipeline of local reporters while also cultivating civic awareness and critical thinking in the communities they serve.

    In conversation: Michael White, Gray Media Training Center; Taylor McGraw, The Bell/Jackson Youth Newsroom; Dennis Moore, Ole Miss Student Media Center

LODGING

The Inn at Ole Miss is located adjacent to the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media.

Check Visit Oxford for additional lodging options. Local options include many Airbnbs.

Coming Together to Strengthen Local News

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.”

Press Forward Mississippi is a coalition of funders focused on community impact. The Press Forward movement invests in journalism as a tool for building stronger communities, helping to ensure that people have access to the information they need to make informed decisions, engage civically, and work toward solutions.

A Catalyst for Future Investment

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.

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 made possible through a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.