Media Literacy Project: Editors Speak Up
With the conclusion of the research from the Media Literacy Project, editors from the Jackson Advocate, Northside Sun, and Madison County Journal respond.
Media Literacy Project: ‘Yes, We Can'
Hearts racing and full of energy, 15 Jim Hill students yelled at two teachers, and the teachers yelled at the students. But no one received detention in Room 213.
Media Literacy Project: The Mouth Of Babes
"Idle hands are the tools of the devil." At least, that's what city officials like Mayor Frank Melton and Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes seem to think about Jackson youth.
Media Literacy Project: Intentional Bias
Earlier this year, in a span of less than two weeks, two tragedies rocked the communities of Jackson, Madison and Canton.
Media Literacy Project: Now What?
After months of planning and research, along with three hour-long interviews with editors from the Northside Sun, The Jackson Advocate and the Madison County Journal, The Jackson Media Literacy Project associates have compiled a list of suggestions for the local papers and the community they serve.
Be Deliberate on Youth Coverage
There is no better time to pause and look at the media's (poor, unfair, incomplete) coverage of the young people of Jackson and America than in the middle of this nasty presidential campaign.
Lessons Learned
I remember walking through the door of David Molina's office in May, confidently strolling up to his desk and handing him a packet of papers that read "Jackson Media Literacy Project" across the front.
[Sue Doh Nem] 'Everything is Everything
Miss Doodle Mae: "Greetings customers! I've been assigned a new responsibility as spokeswoman and public relations director for Jojo's Discount Dollar Store.
[Kamikaze] Main Street or Backstreet?
This presidential election has introduced America to a lot of new and interesting concepts. Never has a race captivated the minds of voters so much that it seeps into popular culture.
[Queen] A New Underground Railroad
I was 5 years old when I first learned about Harriett Tubman and the Underground Railroad. I felt an immediate connection to her, and I've carried it with me all my years.
A Candid Candidacy
After Sen. John McCain announced he would not attend the presidential debate last week until a bailout deal was reached, many people, including the two nominees, began throwing around the phrase "The next president of the United States will have to" more and more frequently.
[Sue Doh Nem] Fighting For Gas and Their Lives
Mr. Announcement: "In the ghetto criminal justice system, the people are represented mostly by two members of the McBride family: Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride, police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall, and attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, myself and I. This is their story."
[Jones] Time to Think, and Hire, Local
Calls coming last week from Oxford, my hometown, suggested that the mood of local residents was shifting toward disgruntlement as they waited to hear if John McCain would show up for the presidential debate.
GOP: Watch the Racist Talking Points
Just hours after the Dow closed Monday down 777 points, a JFP reader posted the "reason" for the financial crisis on our Web site: "The subprime mortgage gateway was led by Democrats (Carter, then Clinton) insistent on the theory (while noble) that everyone should be able to buy a home. Not everyone can." This sounds innocent enough. But it is vital to read the fine print.
Doing It Our Way
My favorite James Meredith story involved the über contrarian sot Christopher Hitchens. Todd and I were asked to "entertain" Hitch during his visit to Millsaps College a few years back; after he arrived from the airport, we met him at Que Sera Sera and, essentially, watched him drink all afternoon and pontificate his passionate-but-weak reasons for supporting the Iraq War.
Hosemann, Commit to Fair Elections
In recent years, the role of the secretary of state was handled in a fair-handed and relatively apolitical way by Eric Clark, a conservative Democrat who seemed to focus on good governance and efficiency when it came to handling elections.
[Sue Doh Nem] Mack Daddy Feds
Rudy McBride: "A wave of great concern looms over this nation and world. The shining prince has turned into a drab-colored frog. Cinderella's diamond-studded slippers and fancy, horse-drawn coach have turned back into a pair of house shoes and a pumpkin.
[Kamikaze] More Than A Rapper
This column is dedicated to two people. Their names and occupations aren't necessary here. Let's just say they know who they are, whether they actually read this column or not.
[Mott] Progress or Repression?
Marching down Constitution Avenue to protest the Vietnam War and to support the Equal Rights Amendment was a rite of passage for me. In early 1970s Washington, D.C., if you weren't marching for something, you just weren't hip.
Close Loopholes for Race Violence
In 2005, the Jackson Free Press went to Franklin County, Miss., with the brother of Charles Moore, one of two black teenagers killed by the Klan in 1964. We wanted to detail a case that probably only got attention in the first place due to three missing civil rights workers at the same time in the "Mississippi Burning" case that drew much more media attention over the years, probably because two of the victims were white.
Birthday Reflections
As the JFP turns 6, Todd Stauffer reflects on the problem of "balance" over accuracya media problem McCain's lying spree has brought front and center.
[Sue Doh Nem] Hop On the Bus
Rev. Cletus: "This is your car-selling pastor on the Ghetto Science Radio Network, broadcasting live from my lube and oil change garage. Please excuse the background noise; my mechanics are busy refurbishing several Double Dutch Church buses for our new Rapid Transit Public Church Bus System.
Time For All Citizens to Vote
Last Friday, the ACLU of Mississippi and the ACLU Voting Rights Project filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the state's denial of voting rights to citizens with felony convictions. Under Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, persons with certain felony convictions are prohibited from voting in state and local elections.
[Saldaña] Keeping Seale Free
On Jan. 26, 2007, two days after a federal grand jury indicted former Klansman James Ford Seale with three counts of kidnapping and conspiracy, his defense attorneys moved to dismiss all charges on the grounds that the charges violated the statute of limitations.
[Gregory] Vetting Sarah
Last week when McCain announced his candidate for Vice President Ilike many other people in Americaasked myself, "Sarah who?" I tuned in to the Republican National Convention just to hear her speak.
The Art of (Culture) War
Four years ago, I wanted John Kerry to pick John McCain as his running mate. He was an impressive politician to me then, willing to buck a then-über powerful Republican Party from the inside.
Governor, Fix Medicaid Permanently
Barbour revealed this week that "a junior staff person" working for the state uncovered a budget correction that allotted the state a one-time payment of $92 million from the federal government. The payment means the long battle to fill the $90 million Medicaid shortfall is suddenly over for the 2009 budget.
[Sue Doh Nem] Living On Promise
Brett Starrchild: "It's the final round of Ghetto Science Television's new game show 'Living on a Promise.' In the first and second rounds, celebrity judge Nurse Tootie McBride asked three contestants (Miss Wanda, Philmo Jones and Lil' Tiny Bit) some general questions.
[Kamikaze] Political Cross-Dressing
I recently received an intriguing e-mail. It raised some interesting points about this year's presidential election, and I thought I'd share.
[Queen] Know Your Passion
In an interview following his Olympic gold medal successes, swimmer Michael Phelps meekly said he and his coach never even speak the words "gold medal" while training for competition. He said that he doesn't even know where the safe is that holds his gold medals.