What Works #5 (Week 6)

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting, What Works

HEADLINE: The School Shooting Generation has had Enough

In the Time article posted on March 22, 2018, by reporter Charlotte Alter, Alter speaks with four 11th graders from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the Valentine’s day shooting in 2018 that sparked the #NeverAgain movement to curb gun violence.

The article details the struggles of gun violence in America and the steps that the young men and women of Parkland, Florida took in the following months after 17 of their peers and teachers were murdered. Alter talks about the mass shooting in 2012, which killed 20 first-graders and six staff members at a Connecticut elementary school and how President Obama issued Executive Orders to strengthen the background-check system, leading several states to tighten their gun laws, but leaving loopholes for gun sales.

In the days after the Parkland shooting, Alter says that the kids of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School publicly called out the NRA’s influence on national politics, and shamed the leaders who they deemed responsible for the nation’s lax gun laws. Following the Parkland shooting, students such as Emma Gonzalez, Alex Wind, Cameron Kasky, and Jaclyn Corin went viral as they called for specific changes to gun reform. Together, they started the #NeverAgain hashtag on Twitter to bring awareness to the issue of gun violence, and on March 14, nearly a million students left class for the National School Walkout to protest the school-shooting epidemic.

Statistics on the number of guns and mass shooters in America are provided in the article, as well as the amount of support for stronger gun regulations in the U.S. The article also says that public support for the NRA is down to 37% from 2000 and that on March 9, a bill was passed in Florida that bans bump stocks, imposes a waiting period to buy a weapon, raises the minimum age to buy a gun and allows police officers to take guns from mentally disturbed people.

The kids of Parkland also organized a student-led March for Our Lives on March 24, where only young speakers were allowed to address the Washington march. The march is meant to expand voter registration around like-minded members of the school-shooting generation. Parkland students also planned to make gun reform the central issue for young voters in the midterm. Alter describes the office space where the #NeverAgain movement is headquartered as a place of optimism and high spirits.

Quotes from the co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Kris Brown, professor of political science at SUNY Cortland who has written five books on gun policy, Rober Spritzer, and teen activist, Arieyanna Williams, from the Peace Warriors, a Chicago anti-violence group, were given in the article in support of the #NeverAgain movement against gun violence. The article also details the plans the Parkland teens have for the future, as they are taking the long view and looking to mobilize young voters so that laws against gun legislation will be supported.

I think that Alter’s article was very well-written. She provided many different voices in the story from both the organizers of the #NeverAgain movement and from professional sources. The use of data and numbers was also utilized throughout the story to show support for gun regulations and previous turnouts of young voters at the polls. I think that the article could have added some information from more Republican points-of-view, as to eliminate any bias in the article. I think that this would bring up more points of discussion by adding this element to the story. I can tell that Alter did a lot of research on various topics before beginning this article, and she supported her work with strong reporting and quotes throughout the piece. Also, the way that Alter describes her surroundings and the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School adds a personal level to the story and shows she is a reliable reporter.

 

The Evolution of Flag Perception in Former Confederate States

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting
By: Anna Margaret Foster and Kristen Bentley
In a survey published by author Linley Sanders on YouGov.com, a global public opinion and data gathering site, more than 34,000 Americans living in former confederate states were polled about whether they believe the Confederate Flag represents heritage or racism. For a slim majority of the respondents, the flag was a symbol of racism.

In Mississippi, for example, polling data from 163 people showed a majority of respondents — 42 percent — felt that the flag represented racism, versus 40 percent who said it represented heritage.

However, for a few deep Southern states, like Arkansas and Louisiana, the majority of participants viewed the flag as a symbol of heritage. In Arkansas and Louisiana both, 46% of respondents believed this, while 31% and 35% respectively disagreed and view the flag as a symbol of racism.
“It’s the way people were raised, it’s what they were taught,” said Dr. Marvin King, associate professor of political science at the University of Mississippi. “First and foremost, it’s a reflection of their environment. It’s what mom and dad taught them.”
Dr. King continued by distinguishing between deep southern states, like Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, housing different results from periphery southern states, like Florida, Virginia, and Texas. He also expressed that states with higher black populations were more likely to believe the flag was symbolic of heritage.
“The higher the black population, the more racially conservative becomes the white population,” King said. “Those results are just confirming what political scientists have been saying for decades.”
“If you believe that your way of life is constantly under attack, the confederate statue might be a stand-in for that, wherever you are,” King said. “I was in Connecticut one time and saw a confederate flag…in that sense, it’s symbolic. That doesn’t take away from its original meaning.”
Julie Wronski, assistant professor of political science at the University of Mississippi, agrees with Dr. King by saying that flag perception is directly related to the environment in which the respondents grew up in, among other factors such as education and social class.
“School curriculum on these topics vary by age cohort, geographic region, and also level of education,” Wronski said. “What you learn about what the flag means shapes your views about the flag later in life.”
Wronski also indicated that the Confederate flag can hold many meanings at the same time.
“Could it not be both?” Wronski said. “The heritage of the South from the antebellum slave-based economy, to the reasons for secession listed in many state’s official documents… are all steeped in white supremacy and the segregation/disenfranchisement of African-Americans.”
Wronski also added that until there is a more clear distinction between heritage and racism in the South, it is difficult to define the flag’s true meaning.
“In essence, much, though not all, of Southern heritage, is racism,” Wronski said. “Maybe the way respondents interpret the difference between heritage and racism may be contingent upon their geographic location, their education, or their ethnic background.”
In Mississippi, there has recently been a growth of preserving the state flag from various organizations such as the State Flag Foundation, which actively endorses the continued usage of the traditional Mississippi state flag- a flag that contains the Confederate Flag image.
Image result for mississippi state flag
Current Mississippi state flag. Photo courtesy WorldAtlas.com
It is not uncommon to see students sporting the foundations’ stickers during football season in The Grove, following the 2015 removal of the state flag on the University of Mississippi campus.
Will Hall, a senior journalism major and avid supporter of the state flag, has his own opinions as to why he believes the flag represents heritage as opposed to racism.
“Mississippi’s flag has flown over our state for 125 years. Only in the last 20 of which did it become an issue for the activist class,” Hall said. “Let’s not forget that in 2001, 64% of Mississippians voted to keep the flag design the way it was in proposition A.”
Hall explained that he believes that the flag is a symbol of history, a reminder of the sacrifice of heritage, and the pride of forgotten Southern ideals. Hall also expressed that he found issue with the University’s decision to retire the flag in 2015.
“The University was wrong back in 2015 by removing the flag without giving all students a chance to decide its future,” Hall said. “That isn’t a democracy, it’s a subversion of democracy by the academic elite.”
Even with the State Flag Foundation’s presence on the University of Mississippi campus and throughout the state in general, other ideological groups and individuals, such as the Stennis Flag Flyers and Representative Bryant Clark, who support changing the flag, are actively working to do so.
The Director of the Stennis Flag Flyers, Chris Roth, said that he believes changing the state flag would improve the image of the state of Mississippi in American society.
“History aside, the fact is that our current flag’s canton is used most prominently by white supremacy groups who are very specific about their position,” Roth said. “Many citizens of this country do not make a distinction between the state flag and the confederate battle flag; hence, both trigger thoughts of bigotry and hate.”
Representative Bryant Clark recently authored a bill in an attempt to change the state flag of Mississippi to either the Stennis flag or another proposed flag design. The outcome of this bill may lay a foundation for either a standstill in society or spark a change to Mississippi’s current controversial image.

What Works Assignment #4

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting, What Works

HEADLINE: A lost purse from 1957 was discovered inside a wall of an Ohio school

In a CNN article published on February 16, journalist Amanda Jackson tells about a purse from 1957 that was found in an Ohio high school last year. Custodian at North Canton City Schools in North Canton, Ohio, Chas Pyle, discovered a purse in 2019 when he was reattaching the trim between the lockers and the wall at school. The North Canton school district posted images of the lost purse, trying to find its owner. The school later learned the purse belonged to the former student, Patti Rumalfo, who lost the purse in 1957.

The article provided two quotes from the school district, but these quotes did not really add to the story. I think the article gave the basic information of what happened but could have been better if quotes from Rumalfo’s family members would have been given. Since Rumalfo passed away in 2013, quotes from her family about their mother’s old purse would have added a personal touch to the story. I believe that a follow-up story could do this article justice as well and provide more information about Rumalfo and who she was by talking to her peers and those close to her.

Student entrepreneurs gear up for university’s Gillespie Business Plan Competition

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

For University of Mississippi students, the dream of launching your own business can become a reality, thanks to the UM School of Business Administration’s Gillespie Business Plan Competition.

The Gillespie Business Plan Competition is hosted by the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and gives young entrepreneurs the ability to develop their business ideas early in life, which could jumpstart their careers. Many Ole Miss students have launched successful companies with help from the entrepreneurial start gained from the annual competition.

According to startup statistics from Small Business Trends, only 4 percent of small business owners are between 18 and 29 years old, but the Gillespie Business Plan Competition allows young people, who would usually be too afraid or overwhelmed about launching their own business, the ability to do so.

“Our goal is to provide student businesses with the funds they need to create their ideas, grow their ideas, or just, in general, create an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Maverick McSparin, student assistant at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and co-president of the UM Entrepreneurship Club. “I want people to not only know how to present their businesses but to understand the process that goes into creating and maintaining one,” McSparin adds.

Over the years, the Gillespie Business Plan Competition has fostered businesses, including Curtsy, which was created in 2016 by Ole Miss students Sara Kiparizoska and William Ault as an online app that allows users to buy and sell clothes.

Last year’s winners, Corinth, Mississippi natives, Jake Harrison and Tyler Moore, gained their business idea after being fed up with the same boring workouts and lack of innovation in the fitness industry. The co-founders of Move Fitness LLC designed the portable and lightweight exercise product GluteMove as a result of this idea, and the product is currently in the seed funding stage. The product targets the gluteal muscles and is primarily aimed at college-age women. Harrison and Moore are in the process of looking at investors and plan to launch their business in the spring or summer of 2020.

Moore, who graduated from Ole Miss in 2019 with a degree in business administration, said that the Gillespie Business Plan Competition has made a significant impact on starting his career as a business owner. “The opportunity to compete in this competition provided me with such skills that you will not learn in the classroom. It has allowed me to have a foot in the door with local venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, and, most importantly, gave our business a chance to grow with support from the CIE,” said Moore.

$20,000 in cash prizes and other incentives are offered to those participating in the competition. First-place winners will receive $10,000 and one year of rent-free office space at Insight Park, the University of Mississippi’s Innovation Hub. Second place winners will receive $5,000 and a third-place winner will receive $2,500. A $5,000 scholarship will also be given to the entrepreneur who presents the most innovative technological solution.

“We try to get students and future entrepreneurs out of their comfort level. We want them to be out there and to expose their ideas. A lot of young people have great ideas, but they are too scared to talk., so this process gears that toward real life,” McSparin says.

Jake Harrison, an exercise science graduate and co-founder of Move Fitness LLC, encourages his peers to firmly believe in and stand by their business ideas throughout the competition. “To those interested in entering the competition, I will say: just put yourself and your business out there and see what happens. It’s a no-lose situation.”

“Don’t be afraid to detach and view your business with a scrutinizing perspective. […] “Look at your business and ask, “Is there any reason not to invest in this company?”, Harrison added.

The initial deadline for this year’s competition is February 23. Applicants will submit an online application form that tells the judges specifics of their business proposal such as, how they plan to make money and why customers will love their product. A series of workshops and a launch weekend will then allow applicants to develop their business ideas and presentation. This year’s event will take place on April 17 at the Jackson Avenue Center and is open to any University of Mississippi student, MBA, or undergrad.

The endowment for the Gillespie Business Plan Competition was provided by Jean and Joe Gillespie, in honor of Edwin C. Gillespie in 2006. Gillespie was a 1943 business administration graduate, and his wife and brother helped to establish the endowment in his honor to assist students in promoting concepts in entrepreneurship.

For more information about the 2020 Gillespie Business Plan Competition or to sign up, visit https://olemisscie.com/programs/gillespie-business-plan/.

 

Sources

Jake Harrison: 1-662-415-9685

Maverick McSparin: 618-407-0044

Tyler Moore: 1-662-808-9643

 

What Works Assignment #3

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

HEADLINE: Texas teen shot dead for standing up to bully days earlier

In an article posted to CBS News on Saturday, Feb. 8, Arlington police say that 16-year-old Arlington High School student, Samuel Reynolds, was killed Thursday at the apartment complex where he lived for standing up to a bully at school days earlier.

Police say that a 15-year-old boy confronted Reynolds in the hallway of the apartments a few days after Reynolds stopped him from bullying another student. Security cameras caught the 15-year-old shooting Reynolds with a .20 caliber gun and police arrested him soon after.

The article details the sophomore boy’s life and how he was a normal guy at school who played on soccer teams around town. Quotes were given from Arlington Police Officer Christopher Cook and Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson, as well as, from a friend of Reynold’s, Christian Vasquez.

The Arlington police force states that they will prosecute whoever made it possible for the 15-year-old to get his hands on a gun, which I think kind of brings up an argument. I think that there should have been more research involved in the article that talked about gun laws in Texas considering the state has some of the laxest gun laws in the country. Since the article also mentions that grief counselors were at Arlington High on Friday offering assistance to those close to Reynolds, I also think that a quote from a faculty member or teacher at Arlington High could have made the story stronger.

The article does a good job of linking to another story from local Dallas news station CBS DFW. The article linked includes a video about the teen’s death along with additional information about the murder and the phone number of the Crime Stoppers line in the area. Funeral services for Reynolds were also included in the bottom of the linked article.

MacArthur Justice Center Fighting on Behalf of Detained Immigrants From University’s Law School Walls

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

Six months after the biggest ICE raid in United States history happened in central Mississippi, the University of Mississippi’s MacArthur Justice Center leads efforts to aid detainees and their families. In what became a record-setting operation carried out on August 7, immigration officials detained 680 individuals working among seven different food processing plants in the area.

The MacArthur Justice Center is a clinic within the University of Mississippi’s Law School established in 2014 to advocate for human rights and social justice through litigation. “We aim to be a voice for people who cannot speak for themselves,” program manager for MacArthur Justice Clinic Angela Galloway said.

The Clinic has been on the front lines of action in the last half-year to specifically help detained immigrants, many of whom have been living in the United States for over ten years.

“The 680 people detained by ICE on August 7 are hard-working, family-oriented residents of Mississippi who have been here for years without incident,” MacArthur Justice Clinic director Cliff Johnson said. “To round these people up, tear families apart, and create turmoil in local communities does not make Mississippi or this country any better.”

There are still countless detained immigrants in need of bonds, legal help, and help with basic necessities.

Since August, the MacArthur Justice Clinic has raised more than $750,000 to get defendants bail bonds, allowing many of them to be released. In addition, they have helped create a hotline for those affected. When family members call, they can hope to receive anything from the necessary legal counsel to toiletries to help their family survive the aftermath of the raids.

“Mississippi is known as the hospitality state. From what I have heard locally, Mississippians are not mad at immigrants. These people are their neighbors, not dangerous criminals as portrayed from a distance. Right after the raids, I saw the state coming together to help these families and people. We have seen a ripple effect of involvement throughout the state,” MacArthur Justice Center Director Cliff Johnson said.

Law students within the University were also assigned to cases within the MacArthur Justice Center as a part of their clinical experiences.

One of these students, third-year law student, Madeline Iles, works directly with female detainees at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Mississippi as a part of her clinical with Johnson. She works with women who are released from detainment but stranded in the lobbies of the centers, with no more than the clothes on their back, miles from their families.

“When I meet these women who are detained, it puts a human face to a larger issue,” said Iles. “I am grateful for people like [Johnson] who have brought light to a national problem such as this.”

Among many organizations and individuals devoted to repairing these damages, local Oxford native and immigration lawyer, Tommy Rosser works alongside Johnson in the legal attempts for justice.

“As a whole, we are extremely disappointed in the way the government handled the issue,” Rosser said. In a press release by the OxfordEagle when the raids occurred, Rosser noted that “Part of our concern as immigration counsel is, instead of focusing federal resources on individuals who are felons, they’re picking the low-hanging fruit like poultry workers and fruit pickers. The focus is in the entirely wrong area in terms of the individuals we need to worry about.”

As a country, the MacArthur Justice Center hopes for long-term change for individuals seeking a life of freedom and acceptance.

“We have to recognize and embrace the fact that the United States always will be a destination for those dealing with human rights issues we can’t even imagine. Our identity as a melting pot made up of people looking for freedom and opportunity did not end when they shut down Ellis Island, “said Cliff Johnson.

Johnson, alongside the “army of people working with the center”, hopes for America to remember the humans behind these heavily politicized issues. “We will never be able to stop people from seeking a better life for themselves and their children. Just because you might agree with a wall, does not mean you want a child to starve or to be stripped from their parents while at school. We are all humans fighting for one another, after all.”

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in 2016, ICE conducted a total of 240,255 removals of illegal immigrants from the United States.

 

Sources

Madeline Iles: 601-807-0239

Cliff Johnson and Angela Galloway: 662-915-6863

Tommy Rosser: 662-234-0350

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  https://www.ice.gov/removal-statistics/2016

 

What Works Assignment #2

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

HEADLINE: Lady Gaga: ‘I better hear no lip-syncing’ at Super Bowl halftime show   

In an Associated Press article posted on Super Bowl Sunday 2020 to USA Today, singer Lady Gaga told this year’s performers, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, that there should be no lip-syncing on stage.

The article goes on to talk about Gaga’s success in her career, which kicked off in 2008. The author quotes Gaga as she speaks to the crowd at her 2020 AT&T TV Super Saturday Night show where Gaga thanked the audience for their support and for allowing her to perform at the 2017 halftime show.

The article explains how Gaga will donate $1 for every tweet using the hashtag #SuperSaturdayNight to her Born This Way Foundation, which supports mental and emotional wellness.

I think that this article is written well, but is very one-sided and solely about Gaga. There are no quotes from others in the story and I think getting quotes from people that know her or fans would add to the story.

The photos in the story were very strong, but there could have been better captions. Also, some of the information in the story did not need to be mentioned. Many of the quotes from Gaga were too long and took away from the story.

The article did bring light to a bigger issue though by mentioning Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and the way to donate to the organization.

Former Ole Miss journalist remembered for her hard work and dedication

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

Less than one week after Callie Daniels Bryant, a former University of Mississippi student and local journalist, passed away, more than 300 people have donated over $25,000 on a GoFundMe page to help pay for Bryant’s funeral expenses.

On Thursday morning, January 23, at a little before 10 a.m., 28-year-old Bryant was driving westbound on Highway 30 when her car went off-road and crashed into a tree. Bryant was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, where she later died from her injuries.

Andrew Bryant, Callie’s husband said, “I always knew that when I was by her side, I was in the company of the most incredible human that I would ever know. Callie was adored by the universe, and this is not an exaggeration.”

Callie Bryant, an Etta, Mississippi native, graduated from Ole Miss in 2014 with a degree in journalism.

Callie and her husband of nearly four years, Andrew, recently bought a home together near Oxford, where Callie worked as associate editor at PMQ Pizza Magazine and as executive director at Union County Humane Society. Bryant also identified as deaf and worked as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Guide at Mississippi Hands & Voices Guides By Your Side.

Although Bryant was born deaf, she was able to communicate through cochlear implantation and despite not being able to hear, herself, the most important thing to Bryant was to give a voice to the voiceless and provide others with the ability to be heard.

In college, Callie never stopped putting in work as a journalist.

“She put in so much work, she worked so hard, to get the story the way SHE wanted it, not the way it ‘should have been done,’” said Andrew Bryant.

It was through Bryant’s love of writing that she found the Union County Humane Society, after writing about fostering animals. This later became a passion for Callie, and she eventually became the director of UCHS.

An outpouring of love and kind words about Bryant have been posted on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. A GoFundMe page in her honor was also created by the co-workers of Bryant’s husband to help cover the costs of her funeral. The GoFundMe page has since raised over $25,000 among more than 300 donors in five days. Members of Bryant’s family are also asking that people donate to the Union County Humane Society in Callie’s honor.

“To feel the love coming from everyone honestly feels like being in Callie’s presence, and in its own way, it is comforting, affirming, and welcomed,” said Andrew Bryant.

The impact that Bryant had on those around her shown through her work both in college and way beyond.  

“Callie was, and is, the reason for so much happiness,” said Monia Daniels, Bryant’s mother. “It is impossible to distill here, but there are moments, and there will continue to be moments where it’s the only thing worth feeling, and we’ll hold onto it in any way we can,” added Daniels.

Rose Daniels, Bryant’s younger sister, said that though Callie was sweet by nature, she was always willing to stand up and fight for those in need.

“Callie would want to be remembered by the people that never made her put on the boxing gloves, even though she had no trouble doing so,” said Rose Daniels. “The people who knew Callie, however briefly or deeply, know this to be true. Callie will be remembered by the heartstrings she pulls from time to time, forever and always, for the rest of our lives,” she added.

Dr. Debora Wenger, professor at the University of Mississippi, said that Callie impressed many of her teachers and fellow students with her talent and commitment to succeed.

“We are proud of what she accomplished after graduation — her work ethic and kind heart are missed by all who knew her at the school,” said Wenger.

Dean Wilbert Norton of the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism & New Media said that Callie was an exceptional journalist whose dedication shown through everything she did.
“I was impressed by Callie’s maturity. She took her work seriously and calmly dealt with the challenges in her writing and reporting. It was a shock to learn that she is not with us any longer. Callie had a blossoming career ahead of her.”

A celebration of Callie Bryant’s life will be at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday, February 1 with visitation at 1:00 pm. The funeral will begin at 3:00 pm with interment in the Northminster Columbarium immediately following.

Per Bryant’s wishes, she will be cremated at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson.

 

Sources
Andrew Bryant- abryant1991@gmail.com

Monica Daniels- 601-559-7040

Rose Daniels- 601-750-2672

Dean Wilbert Norton- hwnorton@olemiss.edu

Debora Wenger- drwenger@olemiss.edu

Story Idea Pitches

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

1. Since the Starship Delivery service recently made its’ presence on the Ole Miss campus, many students and faculty alike have formed an opinion on their uses. The robotically operated delivery service allows individuals on the Ole Miss campus to get food delivered to them as long as they are in the designated delivery area. But, like anything, the Starship has proved to have glitches (stopping in the middle of a busy sidewalk, rolling over, and entirely not moving). I would interview people who have had unpleasant experiences with the service and ask the Starship operators how they plan to fix these problems. Why are these problems occurring? What can the students and faculty do to make the service more useful?

2. The University of Mississippi Counseling Center has a therapy dog named Rowan that will work with clients on the Ole Miss campus. There has been a story written on how Rowan is going to be the counseling dog, but I would like to look to UCC counselor and Rowan’s owner to see what he has been doing in training and how he will be prepared to assist his clients. I will also ask students what they think of this service because not many people know about it.

What Works Assignment #1

Jour 377: Advanced Reporting

The difference between a topic and a story is that a topic generally covers a broad subject or issue, whereas a story goes in-depth about a specific situation providing details and sources that further the story.

Second top Mississippi prisons official step down

Since the recent riots in a Mississippi prison have resulted in the deaths of multiple inmates, two prison officials have stepped down as the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) remains under scrutiny. Many critics say that the riots are a result of a lack of funding and poor conditions in prions throughout the state. Individuals throughout the state and country have stepped up to speak about the conditions in the prions and bring these stories to light. The events have been covered on various platforms with hundreds of stories posted to Google, Facebook, and Twitter within recent weeks.

MDOC said in a news release that Jerry Williams, deputy commissioner of institutions, was thinking of stepping down and gave comments on the matter throughout the story. Other official sources on the topic include commissioner Pelicia Hall, who is also stepping down, and U.S. congressman Bennie Thompson, along with nearly twelve civil rights and social justice organizations. Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton is also a local source on the topic, and outgoing Gov. Phil Bryant took to Twitter to express his concerns with MDOC.

The story has been covered nationally by platforms such as ABC News, which use prison employees and spokespeople as sources. Southern Poverty Law Center spokeswoman Jen Fuson also gave comments on the situation. A prison advocate whose son is in Mississippi prison was also used as a source along with relatives of inmates who shared photos and videos of the prison’s conditions. A district attorney in northeast Mississippi was also interviewed.

Alternate angles for the story would be to talk about the actions that have led up to the poor conditions in the Mississippi prisons and how these conditions were kept secret for so long. Inmates and the families of inmates could be used as sources as well as the warden of the prison or prison guards and workers.

Overall, I think that Allisa Zhu’s article from the Clarion Ledger lacked many important details. There were only three sources in the story, and many of them did not provide any information on the riots instead of just saying how good of a person the outgoing deputy commissioner was. The story does not give much detail on the background of the prison riots and of the past problems with MDOC. Zhu could have found many outside sources to strengthen her story. Zhu also should have provided more information on Pelicia Hall and why she chose to step down from her position within MDOC as well.

A different angle for this story would be to talk about the steps that MDOC is taking to improve the conditions in local prisons and to recognize and apologize for how they failed in the past.