Description

As the fabric of democracy in the US has stretched and frayed, attacks on the media have become more frequent — and virulent. Not only has the rhetoric employed by politicians and activists​ intensified, but physical assaults on individual journalists are on the rise too. And candidates and elected officials are using the courts and, in a few cases, police forces, to hamper the work of reporters.
Deep South Today is a small non-profit news organization in the South that operates Mississippi Today and Verite News in New Orleans. Mississippi Today was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize in 2023 for its reporting on the diversion of welfare funds by a former state governor. Though none of the facts reported in the story have been challenged, the former governor has sued for defamation and demanded that Mississippi Today hand over information the paper believes should be protected; the news organization has appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court to protect journalists reporting in good faith.
The lawsuit and appeals process have the potential to impact adversely the paper’s ability to cover the 2024 elections fully and freely — in a state severely underserved by independent media. A general operating grant of $50,000 will enable Mississippi Today to continue its critical reporting work this election season, even as it continues to fight for protection for journalists in the state courts.
The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) is best known for its work on behalf of reporters in conflict zones and non-democratic states. The Committee’s US program, however, observes that there were 640 attacks on journalists in the US during the election year 2020, and they fear that the coming months will bring a wave of anti-media rhetoric, threats, and assaults.
CPJ plans to undertake an ambitious education campaign, aimed at political candidates, party officials, and the general public, that emphasizes the importance of a free press in a democracy and discourages anti-press rhetoric. The public education efforts will focus on five states where partisan battles are expected to be most intense. In addition, CPJ will offer safety training to working journalists to ensure that they are prepared to protect themselves against threats and violence.
$100,000 will help to underwrite these efforts, principally paying staff of the US program.