Thread by @DonnerKay

Indeed. While you’re at it, explore @msfreepress’ #highered coverage all year. We do real journalism about what’s happening at Mississippi’s colleges and universities, especially the public ones because they shouldn’t function behind closed doors. Archive: mississippifreepress.org/tag/highered/

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1330120915053580288

Mississippi colleges, like those across country, are crucibles of the conflict between old ways and new ones. It’s heartening to watch so many students and faculty work to expose problems, even as others are either happy with status quo or silenced by the culture of fear.

This stepping-out-for-change versus culture-of-fear is at heart of what @msfreepress’ #UMemails series about, as well as lack of transparency and attempts to silence those who step out in various ways (and us, btw). It’s some of most important work I’ve edited. I’m proud of it.

What I’ve learned is that journalists in our state treat our universities (many went to them) as third rail of Mississippi journalism. That is, school spirit and connections keeps stories like #UMEmails from being told even when journalists have seen the emails for many months.

Reporter @ashtonpittman and I both went to state universities. We don’t believe they should operate in darkness. Our focus through this work is students-first over hurt feelings of those who didn’t make revelations in #UMEmails series public in order to protect students sooner.

You’ll see this by reading the full #UMEmails series, but know that this full story could have been told back in 2018, then in 2019, then earlier in 2020, because there were adults who knew it and who practice journalism in various ways. We stepped in because no one else willing.

Some adults at UM apparently do not want people to focus and understand my last tweet, but it is at the heart of this whole series. Parts 1 and 3 of @ashtonpittman’s original series lays out details of this so go read to understand better.

I told UM students in interview this week that I pushed to drop #UMEmails series in early August because students would be back on campus soon and needed to know exactly what had happened on the square using their images. Knowing is a form of protection now, or back in 2018.

I wrote about this editor’s note week #UMEmails package dropped in early August. We’ve been proved right multiple times in our decisions to protect sources by what we saw happen afterward, including intense pressure in j-school for sources to out selves. mississippifreepress.org/5130/editors-n…

And as I said, the trashing of people others *thought* we might’ve talked to. Apparently, there’s a “list” of faculty saying they didn’t talk to us made to apparently prove who might have. It’s absurd to think confidential sources were going to tell angry co-workers if they did.

I’ll add that it’s very sad as a journalist, with a master’s in journalism, to see this happen in a journalism school.

BTW, send #highered story tips to [e-mail] or DM me or @ashtonpittman if you prefer.

Two other stories we’re not done with either. Read piece @11_mcgee and I did about my alma mater Mississippi State’s role in ensuring that generations were taught lies about Civil War and Confederacy—led by men MSU still honors:

mississippifreepress.org/4650/mississip…

Plus, @ashtonpittman wrote about his University of Southern Mississippi’s sordid racist past (or some of it) and how students are stepping up for change. USM has a serious naming problem, too: mississippifreepress.org/5542/protestin…

Me, btw, responding to journalism faculty demanding that I provide a list of who talked to us and didn't for #UMEmails series: