Mississippi Today

What Mississippi Today does

Mississippi Today is a nonprofit digital news organization headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, operating as the state's largest nonprofit newsroom with 30 full-time journalists. Founded in 2016 under the parent entity Deep South Today (a 501(c)(3) public charity incorporated in 2014), the organization began as a statehouse watchdog focused on Capitol coverage and has expanded into education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and sports. Its core platform is mississippitoday.org, supplemented by nine email newsletters, three podcasts, a mobile application, and a network of 43 Mississippi media outlets that republish its content, collectively reaching 500,000+ monthly page views and 4.5 million annual site views in 2024.

The organization's journalism has produced measurable accountability outcomes, including Pulitzer Prize-winning work in 2023 and investigations that contributed to the release of women imprisoned in the Mississippi welfare scandal and the reopening of prison homicide cases. The platform combines investigative text reporting with photojournalism, video, podcasts, and live events, with editorial decisions insulated from funders through a formal independence firewall.

Mississippi Today operates a multi-stream revenue model combining foundation grants (American Journalism Project, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation), individual donations and memberships (1,910 paying members in 2023), digital advertising and sponsored content (Partner Stories), live events, and newsletter sponsorships. Its go-to-market is community-led and digital-first: free content is distributed across owned web, mobile, email, social, and partner channels, converting engaged readers into financial supporters.

Name

Mississippi Today

Legal name

Mississippi News and Information Corporation

Website

https://mississippitoday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mississippi Today is the largest nonprofit digital newsroom in Mississippi, employing 30 journalists to deliver free investigative and policy reporting across politics, education, health, justice, and environment to readers statewide via website, newsletters, and podcasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Community-Integrated Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAI)

Keywords

• Nonprofit digital journalism
• Investigative news reporting
• State government coverage
• Newsletter publishing
• Multimedia news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations/Memberships: Individual giving program where donors become members of Mississippi Today, receiving exclusive updates and invitations in exchange for financial support.
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations including Public Welfare Foundation ($300,000 for judicial system reporting), Jonathan Logan Family Foundation ($500,000 for investigative and justice reporting), and other national foundations.
3. Advertising and Sponsorship: Digital display advertising on mississippitoday.org, newsletter sponsorships, podcast sponsorships, and Partner Stories sponsored content program.
4. Events: Live events including policy conferences, election analysis coverage, and community conversations with state leaders that engage Mississippians in civic dialogue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mississippi Today is a Pulitzer Prize-winning nonprofit digital news organization that produces independent investigative journalism and statewide coverage of government, education, health, justice, environment, and sports for Mississippi residents. Its core offering is free digital news content distributed through the mississippitoday.org website, mobile app, nine email newsletters, three podcasts, social media, and a network of 43 partner outlets republishing its work across the state.

Product overview

Mississippi Today is a nonprofit news organization operating as a single unified digital news platform supplemented by multiple content distribution products. The core offering is the mississippitoday.org website delivering news across politics, education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and sports. Content distribution is handled through nine newsletters (The Today, The Report, Legislative Guide, The Pulse, Mississippi Today Ideas, Jackson Desk, Mississippi Marketplace, Crooked Letter Sports with Rick Cleveland, and The Learning Curve), three podcasts (The Other Side Podcast, Crooked Letter Sports Podcast, and Mississippi Stories video series), and a mobile application. Revenue is generated through digital advertising products including display ads, Partner Stories sponsored content, and live events. The organization reaches 35,000+ newsletter subscribers and 4.5 million annual site views, with 43 Mississippi outlets republishing their content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mississippi Today Website Primary digital news platform providing comprehensive coverage of Mississippi news across politics, education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and sports. Free access to all readers, generating over 500,000 monthly page views.
• The Today Newsletter Daily headlines newsletter delivering the latest Mississippi news directly to subscribers' inboxes every weekday morning.
• The Report Newsletter Weekly roundup newsletter summarizing the best of Mississippi news, sent every Saturday morning.
• Legislative Guide Newsletter Weekly legislative updates newsletter with exclusive recaps written by the dedicated politics team, sent every Monday afternoon during legislative sessions.
• The Pulse Newsletter Monthly health newsletter providing updates on health in Mississippi, curated by the health reporting team.
• Mississippi Marketplace Newsletter Biweekly business briefings covering Mississippi business news and market updates.
• Crooked Letter Sports Newsletter Monthly sports commentary newsletter from award-winning sports columnist Rick Cleveland, covering Mississippi sports stories and analysis.
• The Learning Curve Newsletter Biweekly education news newsletter delivering updates on Mississippi's education coverage.
• Mississippi Today Ideas Newsletter Monthly commentary newsletter featuring perspectives from section editor Bobby Harrison on Mississippi's past, present, and future.
• Jackson Desk Newsletter Newsletter providing updates from the Jackson (JXN) team covering the capital city's news and issues.
• The Other Side Podcast Political podcast bringing intimate access to the most connected players and observers in Mississippi politics, with new episodes each Monday.
• Crooked Letter Sports Podcast Mississippi-centric sports talk and stories podcast hosted by 14-time Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year Rick Cleveland and Scorebook Live senior reporter Tyler Cleveland.
• Mississippi Stories Video Series Video series featuring discussions with some of Mississippi's most interesting people, hosted by Editor-at-Large and Editorial Cartoonist Marshall Ramsey.
• Mississippi Today Mobile App Mobile application providing access to Mississippi Today news content on smartphones and tablets.
• Partner Stories (Sponsored Content) Sponsored content program allowing sponsors to reach Mississippi Today's audience through brand messaging in the form of written articles with sponsor bio and byline, promoted on the homepage.
• Digital Display Advertising Banner and display advertising on mississippitoday.org and the mobile app, with the website averaging over 500,000 monthly page views.
• Mississippi Today Live Events In-person public newsroom events and large-scale journalism summits exploring timely topics with depth and nuance, hosted throughout the state, including policy conferences, election analysis events, and community conversations with state leaders.
• Investigative Reporting Projects Major investigative reporting series including Jackson Water Crisis, Opioid Settlement Funds investigation, Prison Health Care investigation, and Abuse of Power in Mississippi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Exposed Mississippi welfare scandal contributing to release of women imprisoned for pregnancy-related offenses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Deep South TodaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Mississippi Today operates as a member of Deep South Today, an incorporated nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) that serves as the parent organization. Deep South Today is the legal entity that owns and operates Mississippi Today. EIN #47-2158741.
• Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMississippi Today is a member of INN, subscribing to its standards of editorial independence. INN provides standards, resources, and network benefits for nonprofit news organizations.
• 43 Mississippi Media OutletsflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMississippi Today has content syndication partnerships with 43 Mississippi outlets that republish its work, extending statewide reach and impact.
• LION PublishersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in LION Publishers (Local Independent Online News) network for independent local news publishers.
• Online News AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization for digital journalism; recognized Mississippi Today as a leader in newsroom innovation.
• Local Media AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association supporting local media organizations with resources and networking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ProPublica: The dominant national nonprofit investigative newsroom. Comparable on editorial mission and foundation-funding model but operates at national scale with a much larger budget, broader remit, and longer Pulitzer track record.
• The Center for Public Integrity: National nonprofit investigative news organization. Comparable in foundation-supported accountability journalism and Pulitzer-level recognition, but operates across all 50 states rather than concentrating on a single statehouse.

Direct peers

• The 19th News: Nonprofit news organization with a thematic focus. Operates the same donation + foundation + events funding mix and digital-first newsletter/podcast product suite that Mississippi Today uses, with similar multi-revenue-stream monetization.
• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit newsroom dedicated to criminal-justice investigative reporting. Highly comparable in editorial mission (justice accountability, Pulitzer-recognized) and foundation-funding model, though operating nationally rather than within a single state.
• The Texas Tribune: The leading state-level nonprofit digital news organization in the U.S. Texas Tribune uses the same membership/donation + foundation + events model and is the direct archetype Mississippi Today emulates, scaled to a larger state.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit digital newsroom covering state policy, justice, and accountability. Operates the same digital-first nonprofit model with foundation funding, sponsored newsletters, and events — directly comparable in GTM and product suite.
• Wisconsin Watch: Nonprofit investigative newsroom covering Wisconsin state government and justice issues. Mirrors Mississippi Today's Pulitzer-adjacent investigative focus with similar foundation funding and small-state audience constraints.
• The Connecticut Mirror: Statehouse-focused nonprofit digital newsroom covering Connecticut policy and politics. Directly comparable to Mississippi Today's Capitol-watchdog DNA, donor-supported revenue model, and newsletter-led audience engagement.
• VTDigger: Vermont's flagship nonprofit digital news outlet covering state government and policy. Highly comparable small-state nonprofit newsroom with a donation/membership revenue model and a similar newsroom scale.

Emerging players

• Type Investigations: Nonprofit investigative reporting unit producing long-form accountability journalism. Comparable in editorial mission and award-winning model but smaller in newsroom scale and lacking the statewide multi-format distribution footprint Mississippi Today has built.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mstodaynews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjKxeE6dE_ngZFKf6eCVoIw
• Facebookfacebook.com/MSTODAYnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27107748
• Instagraminstagram.com/mstodaynews
• TikToktiktok.com/@mississippitoday

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mississippi Today