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On Friday, Nov. 15, Deep South Today’s network of newsrooms, Mississippi Today and Verite News, hosted a members-only program exploring the pressing challenges facing journalism in the South and their connection to the national fight for press freedom.

Mississippi Today Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau and Verite News Editor-in-Chief Terry Baquet were joined by national press freedom experts Emily Wilkins, President of the National Press Club, and William McCarren, Director of the Press Freedom Center. Together, they discussed the critical role local newsrooms play in holding power accountable, how journalists can prepare for ongoing threats to press freedom, and how the public can support these efforts.

Our nonprofit newsrooms rely on reader support to power their work. Events like this are exclusive membership benefits. Learn more about becoming a member.


Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today and Verite News.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now one of the largest newsrooms in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color.

With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.