/Mississippi Today Community Ambassadors Program

Mississippi Today Community Ambassadors Program

Let’s begin by providing some background information. A source in journalism is someone we speak to for a story. Sometimes we quote them and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes it’s an elected official that issues a statement to us for us to add to a story, or a member of the community who meets with us to discuss what’s happening locally. READ MORE: Mississippi is diverse. Stories should reflect this. Sources can often give us story ideas. They can also influence how we view stories. Good journalism is only possible with reliable sources. Journalists don’t want to rely on people for their ideas. We want to hear your ideas. We want to hear from you if you feel the news isn’t representing you or have suggestions for improving it. We need to hear your thoughts so that the stories we choose to pursue are fair and inclusive. Not just based on what a few journalists believe is important. We could really use your assistance here. We are looking for diverse people from all walks of the state — politically, racially and socioeconomically — to help us build a network that will guide our journalism and share their insights for specific stories. Let’s see how it works: We would ask you to fill out a survey about yourself, and what are the best ways for us to contact you. The facilitator of the program will contact you within a few weeks to discuss how we are moving forward. We would love to get in touch with all of you, but we want each ambassador build meaningful relationships with reporters. We will have to limit the number of participants. If we are able to move forward together, you will be paired up with one of our reporters. A reporter will contact you to arrange a time for us to speak. There is no set agenda. Our main goal is to get acquainted with you and your community. We hope that this conversation will become the beginning of many more that are trusting, ongoing, and serve community-powered journalism. Still interested? Register below for the Mississippi Today Community Ambassador Network Program. Have questions? Reach out to kelsey@mississippitoday.org