When the pandemic began, journalist Ashton Pittman began working at the Mississippi Free Press, a new nonprofit media outlet, not realizing what the future would hold. At a time when local, national, and global communities relied heavily on news outlets for an accurate portrayal of the Covid pandemic, Ashton’s work to provide fair and accurate journalism became essential. Not only reporting on Covid-19 but also on the Black Lives Matter protests in Mississippi, Ashton came face to face with combating misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, all the while uplifting stories of Mississipians in a media desert. Roundtable guests: Award-winning journalists Maria Hinojosa from Latino USA on NPR and Julio Ricardo Varela from Latino Rebels, both produced by the Futuro Media Group.

Learn more about the Mississippi Free Press: http://mississippifreepress.org/

Learn more about Maria and Julio’s podcast, In The Thick: https://www.inthethick.org

Learn more about Futuro Media: https://www.futuromediagroup.org

Learn more about Latino Rebels: https://www.latinorebels.com

Episode Transcript: https://app.trint.com/public/bb77b0f4-77a8-4888-bd34-0da794a592ae