Knowledge Fuels Authentic Journalism

This summer, Youth Media Project students came up with election topics that they then broke down into different story angles. Here, Kiden Aloyse-Smith facilitates a student brainstorm about policing. Photo by Imani Khayyam

by Kiden-Aloyse Smith

I started with the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, specifically the Mississippi Free Press, during my senior year at Jackson State University. I learned about the Poynter and Google News Initiative only a couple days before the application was due and decided to apply at a whim. I didn’t know much about MJEG, but I figured it would be good to get ahead by finding a solid internship to fulfill my internship credits. 

I didn’t know that the extent of my fall internship would bring forth the opportunity to create and share raw and distinct stories like MFP does. 

While serving as the team’s misinformation fellow, I spent time focused on election-based fact-checking, particularly while the governor’s race was ongoing. I gained my fair share of experience learning the dangers of horse-race reporting and how to go about handling false information. 

Following graduation, I became the editorial programming coordinator with the Youth Media Project, which left me with many gems that I figured is good information any journalist should know. 
Knowledge is power. And real journalism tells real stories. 

The Youth Media Projects allows high-school students to learn about journalism and to create compelling and engaging stories that relate to their communities. Photo of 2024 YMP student journalist Haley Bradford by Imani Khayyam

Spending my summer mentoring 14-to-17-year-olds on the world of objectivity (and coming to the conclusion that it sometimes does more harm than good) and how to write meaningful and engaging stories re-ignited why I fell in love with writing and journalism. 


Now, as MFP’s editorial assistant, editing and coordinating stories for Voices, and also as the special projects coordinator for our most engaging community initiatives and programs such as YMP and our Solution Circles, I see even more clearly why the stories of local Misssissippians are so important. 


Being from St. Louis, Mo., my experiences have helped me understand the significance of covering marginalized voices in every space, from politics to the environment. And with my great aunts, uncles and grandmother leaving Tutwiler, Miss., during the Great Migration to go places like St. Louis or Chicago, the importance of history and storytelling has always been a central theme in my life. 


Going to an HBCU like Jackson State University empowered me as a young Black woman journalist to seek out truths and to go where the untold stories are. I can honestly say within my short period working at MFP that the mission of this newsroom is to do just that.


This is so important, especially in the state of Mississippi, which is consistently left out of conversations, yet decidedly affected by national and local policies and decisions. 


Although YMP has come to a close, I look forward to sharing the “Election Summer” flipbook the amazing students made and showcasing their stories, most of which have already been published on JXNpulse.com. 


I think what we can all learn from our young people is that there is power in our voices and that the choices we make are never just about us, especially when it comes to voting. 


Stay tuned to our upcoming Solution Circles that bridge Mississippians together to discuss pertinent issues in the state, such as infrastructure or education. 


While the worlds of politics and journalism are forever changing, the Mississippi Free Press will continue to share authentic and engaging stories for and from our readers.