Mississippi Press Association
Founded in 1866
The Mississippi Press Association awards the A-Mark Foundation Prize for Freedom of Information Reporting in Mississippi as part of its annual journalism awards. This contest is open to all news media organizations based in Mississippi and their staff members to include newspapers, broadcast outlets and digital news publications.
This contest recognizes a story or series by a reporter or team of reporters on a single topic that demonstrate an active commitment to Freedom of Information and the use of federal FOIA or state Open Meetings and Public Records laws. Entries may include a single investigative story or multiple stories over a period of time. Entries should display original reporting revealing information otherwise not generally known that individuals, governmental agencies, elected officials or organizations may not want under public scrutiny. Judging criteria include depth of research, initiative, obstacles overcome, use of databases and public records, analysis of documents and records, use of multiple sources and impact on public policy.