Donna Ladd
Encyclopedia
Donna Ladd is an American
investigative journalist who helped create The Jackson Free Press
, an award-winning freely distributed newsweekly. She has received international recognition for her racial reconciliation efforts in Mississippi and nationally, helping bring "cold" civil rights cases to justice and for her dogged coverage of Frank Melton
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/melton.php, the controversial mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
.
. In 1983, Ladd completed her B.A.
in Political Science
at Mississippi State University
and left to pursue a career in journalism. She helped start The Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs' first alternative newsweekly, in 1993. After editing and then writing for the paper for several years, she moved to New York City
where she wrote for The Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0139,ladd,28493,6.html and pursued a master's degree
in journalism from Columbia University
.
. She lives with author and Jackson Free Press publisher and technology/blogging consultant Todd Stauffer
, her partner of 10 years.
s and investigative pieces. She took the name from the The Mississippi Free Press, a now-defunct investigative civil rights
newspaper from the 1960s.
The JFP, as it is called locally, launched in 2001 with a fully interactive Web site, with a wide variety of blogs and forums. Ladd teaches workshops on incorporating reporting and the Web around the country.http://www.aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewPage?oid=oid%3A130686
She is one of the few female political voices in Mississippi, sometimes drawing criticism as well as recognition for her outspoken progressive commentary on her blog. Her investigative work on Barbour has attracted attention from national blogs. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=7551_0_9_0_C http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/05/giuliani-barbour/ Her work on racial reconciliation, however, has raised criticism from some local white conservatives, prompting disparaging nicknames and satirical Web sites about her. Critics include "white nationalist" Richard Barrett, who called her the "hip hop editor" and an "integrationist" on his Web site.
filmmaker David Ridgen in a trip to Moore's hometown of Meadville, Mississippi
. They intended to investigate and call for justice for the 1964 Klan murders of his brother, Charles Moore, and his friend Henry Dee. In the paper's first story about the trip, published July 20, 2005, the JFP revealed that the lead suspect, James Ford Seale
, was living in the area, although The Clarion-Ledger
and other media had reported that he was no longer alive. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=6668_0_9_0_C In January 2007, the Justice Department announced that Seale had been indicted for federal kidnapping and conspiracy charges in connection with the case. http://cityweekly.blogspot.com/2007/02/out-in-open.html Ladd's work on the case drew national and international attention, including from NPR
, CNN
, BBC
, CBC Radio
, CBS Radio, Editor & Publisher, and the Poynter Institute. http://spj.org/blog/blogs/newsgems/archive/2007/01/29/5544.aspx http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=117287 http://cityweekly.blogspot.com/2007/02/out-in-open.html In June 207, Seale was convicted of federal charges and sentenced to life in prison.
Ladd started the work on the Dee-Moore case while she was covering the Edgar Ray Killen case in Philadelphia, Mississippi
. She had long called for the conspirators to be prosecuted in that case.
. She teaches annual writing workshops at the Academy for Alternative Journalism at Northwestern University
every summer, a program to increase diversity in the alternative press.
Her work for racial conciliation and justice in the state have been recognized widely, including in a Glamour
magazine profile, as well as by other media outlets.
She serves on the board of directors of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
and as its national Diversity Chair. http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/Board She is also vice president of the ACLU of Mississippi
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
investigative journalist who helped create The Jackson Free Press
Jackson Free Press
The Jackson Free Press, referred to often as simply "JFP", is an alternative weekly newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi founded in 2002 by Mississippi native Donna Ladd, author and technology expert Todd Stauffer and a group of young Jacksonians wanting a progressive voice in the state...
, an award-winning freely distributed newsweekly. She has received international recognition for her racial reconciliation efforts in Mississippi and nationally, helping bring "cold" civil rights cases to justice and for her dogged coverage of Frank Melton
Frank Melton
Frank Ervin Melton was the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, United States, from 4 July 2005 until his death on 7 May 2009. Melton, an African American, defeated the city's first black mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. Melton won 63 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary against Johnson, who had...
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/melton.php, the controversial mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.
Early life and education
Ladd was born in Philadelphia, MississippiPhiladelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. In 1983, Ladd completed her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
and left to pursue a career in journalism. She helped start The Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs' first alternative newsweekly, in 1993. After editing and then writing for the paper for several years, she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she wrote for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0139,ladd,28493,6.html and pursued a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in journalism from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Family
Ladd returned to Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. She lives with author and Jackson Free Press publisher and technology/blogging consultant Todd Stauffer
Todd Stauffer
Todd Stauffer is co-founder and publisher of the Jackson Free Press in Jackson, Mississippi, and author of 40 nonfiction books on a variety of computer-related topics. He lives with his partner, journalist and editor Donna Ladd....
, her partner of 10 years.
Career in Mississippi
In 2001, Ladd returned to Mississippi after an 18-year absence and co-founded The Jackson Free Press. She serves as editor-in-chief and regularly contributes op-edOp-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
s and investigative pieces. She took the name from the The Mississippi Free Press, a now-defunct investigative civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
newspaper from the 1960s.
The JFP, as it is called locally, launched in 2001 with a fully interactive Web site, with a wide variety of blogs and forums. Ladd teaches workshops on incorporating reporting and the Web around the country.http://www.aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewPage?oid=oid%3A130686
She is one of the few female political voices in Mississippi, sometimes drawing criticism as well as recognition for her outspoken progressive commentary on her blog. Her investigative work on Barbour has attracted attention from national blogs. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=7551_0_9_0_C http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/05/giuliani-barbour/ Her work on racial reconciliation, however, has raised criticism from some local white conservatives, prompting disparaging nicknames and satirical Web sites about her. Critics include "white nationalist" Richard Barrett, who called her the "hip hop editor" and an "integrationist" on his Web site.
Justice & reconciliation
In July 2005, Donna Ladd and photographer Kate Medley joined Thomas Moore and Canadian BroadcastingCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
filmmaker David Ridgen in a trip to Moore's hometown of Meadville, Mississippi
Meadville, Mississippi
Meadville is a town in Franklin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County...
. They intended to investigate and call for justice for the 1964 Klan murders of his brother, Charles Moore, and his friend Henry Dee. In the paper's first story about the trip, published July 20, 2005, the JFP revealed that the lead suspect, James Ford Seale
James Ford Seale
James Ford Seale was a Ku Klux Klan member charged by the U.S. Justice Department on January 24, 2007, and subsequently convicted on June 14, 2007, for the May 1964 kidnapping of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two African-American young men in Meadville, Mississippi...
, was living in the area, although The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger is the Pulitzer Prize winning daily newspaper of Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second oldest company in the state of Mississippi and is one of only a few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide...
and other media had reported that he was no longer alive. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=6668_0_9_0_C In January 2007, the Justice Department announced that Seale had been indicted for federal kidnapping and conspiracy charges in connection with the case. http://cityweekly.blogspot.com/2007/02/out-in-open.html Ladd's work on the case drew national and international attention, including from NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, CBS Radio, Editor & Publisher, and the Poynter Institute. http://spj.org/blog/blogs/newsgems/archive/2007/01/29/5544.aspx http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=117287 http://cityweekly.blogspot.com/2007/02/out-in-open.html In June 207, Seale was convicted of federal charges and sentenced to life in prison.
Ladd started the work on the Dee-Moore case while she was covering the Edgar Ray Killen case in Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. She had long called for the conspirators to be prosecuted in that case.
Diversity Work
Ladd is the national Diversity Chair for the Association of Alternative NewsweekliesAssociation of Alternative Newsweeklies
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
. She teaches annual writing workshops at the Academy for Alternative Journalism at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
every summer, a program to increase diversity in the alternative press.
Her work for racial conciliation and justice in the state have been recognized widely, including in a Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
magazine profile, as well as by other media outlets.
She serves on the board of directors of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
and as its national Diversity Chair. http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/Board She is also vice president of the ACLU of Mississippi
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
Awards
- In 2006, Ladd and Mississippi NAACP chapter president Derrick JohnsonDerrick Johnson-Kansas City Chiefs:Johnson started every game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005, becoming the first Chiefs linebacker in 20 years to start all 16 games of his rookie campaign. He was subsequently awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award by the Chiefs...
were co-recipients of the Friendship Award, an annual prize given by Jackson 2000, a racial reconciliation group. - Ladd has received six awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies for her investigative work and political commentary, including for her Dee-Moore series and as part of the team that investigated Mayor Frank Melton
- 2005, Ladd was designated one of Mississippi's leading 50 businesswomen by the Mississippi Business JournalMississippi Business JournalThe Mississippi Business Journal is a statewide weekly business newspaper, located in Jackson, Mississippi.Each issue contains news coverage relating to the Mississippi business world along with regular opinion and freelance columns...
External links
- Donna Ladd's Blog
- Donna Ladd's AAN Awards
- Erica Beras, "Donna Ladd: Reporting Her Face Off in Mississippi", Association of Alternative News, 13 Oct 2005