Given the facts and the right information, people will do the right thing. I have often said this in speaking to students about the importance of good journalism — reporting that examines and analyzes and helps people reach logical and helpful solutions to the problems we all face. Yes, we differ, we debate, we filter things through our political leanings, ...

The latest Global Digital Statshot from We Are Social and Hootsuite reveals that the number of people using social media around the world has just passed the momentous 3 billion mark. With he world population at 7.5 billion and counting, that’s quite a milestone. Here are top trends: » 3.8 billion Internet users – with a 51 percent penetration rate. ...

The events in Charlottesville evade simple description. The tragic loss of life and violent imagery are now part of our collective consciousness and already compare as one of the darkest chapters in modern American history.   For many of us who were not adults during segregation, these images seem ripped from a time we hoped was in the past. Sadly, ...

  Decision time is drawing near for Mississippi’s Charter School Advisory Board. While a proposed school in Clarksdale has an impressive list of supporters, those who want to open schools in Canton and Drew may face questions. The board decides once a year on new applications to open the alternative form of public schools, which are run by private nonprofits. ...

The 13-state Appalachian Regional Commission just released its latest county economic status rankings. Mississippi has 24 ARC counties with 12 ranked “distressed,” nine “at-risk,” three “transitional,” and none “competitive” or “attainment.” Rankings did not change from last year.   What do these rankings mean? ARC calculates the economic status of counties based on unemployment rates, per capita market income, and ...

Toyota’s announcement Aug. 4 that it had signed a joint venture agreement with Mazda to build Corollas and other vehicles sent state and local leaders through a range of emotions – surprise, concern and hope. If you didn’t hear, the two Japanese automakers, which signed an agreement two years ago to work closer together, said they would build a $1.6 billion ...

Band-Aid, Amazon and Google are the strongest brands according to the latest YouGov 2017 BrandIndex. Craftsman and Dawn rounded out the Top 5. Johnson & Johnson fell out of the Top 10 this year, from number 6 to number 11. Quaker replaced it in the Top 10. The Top 20 Brands With Best Ad Awareness chart reveals that this year, ...

Most believe the script – as least for the lead actors – already has been written for the 2019 statewide elections. Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves of Rankin County in suburban Jackson and Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood of Houston in Northeast Mississippi will be the lead candidates for their respective parties for the open gubernatorial seat. There could be ...

Recited the Pledge of Allegiance lately?    Once upon a time in America school children were required to stand, face the flag, and recite the pledge each morning.   Remember how it goes?     “I pledge allegiance to flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty ...

Only 1 percent of videos posted to Facebook actually end up going viral – but it probably helps if your video is square rather than horizontal or vertical, is engaging in ways beyond likes, and/or is geared toward Spanish speakers, an analysis by social video production company Wochit found. Wochit analyzed more than 5,000 social videos that were created by ...