Welcome to The Mississippi Independent

A new approach to reporting on progressive issues

The Mississippi Independent is part of an expanding base of nonprofit news outlets designed to fill gaps in coverage brought on by the economic decline of conventional media, which has diminished the flow of accurate information, allowed critical news to slip through the cracks, and led to over-reliance on social media sources that are prone to errors, omissions and distortions.

As a nonprofit news site, our collective of freelancers and nonpartisan advocates aims to objectively report on stories of interest to Mississippians who are attuned to progressive issues, by tapping diverse and credible sources and relying upon factual documentation, without endorsing or suppressing a specific view.

Mississippi is fortunate to have several nonprofit and alternative outlets that help keep the state’s electorate informed. Shout out to news sites, publications and blogs Mississippi Today, Magnolia Tribune, Mississippi Free Press and Jackson Jambalaya. Yet with so many crucial issues in play, with the action unfolding quickly, and with significant constraints on staffing and reporters’ time, no single outlet can fully cover the waterfront. The Mississippi Independent will help fill some of the resulting gaps.

Who we are not: a similarly named site devoted to “spiritual exploration” called Mississippi Independent, without the “The.”

Beyond news of legislative activity and critical issues important to Mississippians, this site will include investigative reports, feature stories and a Reporter’s Notebook section highlighting backstage scenes and illuminating vignettes.

Our intent is to foster an open, honest exchange of information, to highlight news that might not be covered otherwise, and to provide a platform for alternative voices. This approach will influence the stories we cover but not how we cover them. Objective, factual reporting is more important than ever in today’s divisive, partisan political environment, when public discourse is compromised by rumors, lies, disinformation, obfuscation and hate speech—none of which will be tolerated in our coverage nor in posted reader comments.

Readers are encouraged to suggest story ideas and to speak up if they note the absence of a key perspective or a salient detail. Our name illustrates the approach we will take.