Matter of Fact
by Roy Howard Community Journalism Center
Ever wonder how local news stories come to life? Matter of Fact goes beyond the headlines to show how community journalism works — and why it matters. Produced by the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, which is supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation and The University of Southern Mississippi, each episode pulls back the curtain on storytelling — from first idea to final edit. Through candid conversations with reporters, editors and community members, we explore what it takes to tell stories that build trust, spark conversations and strengthen truth-based journalism.
Episodes
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Alden Bennett on Building a Community at Southern Miss
Season 2 of Matter of Fact continues this week with Alden Bennett, associate director for external affairs for the Southern Miss Alumni Association, who has spent 12 years helping students and alumni connect with the university. In this episode, we take a closer look at what it means to build...
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Laura Starr on Building a Community Around Dyslexia Therapy
Season 2 of Matter of Fact continues this week with Laura Starr, a dyslexia therapist who took a leap of faith this summer and opened her own dyslexia therapy center, The Literacy Corner, in Oak Grove. In this episode, we take a closer look at dyslexia, the challenges students with reading...
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Dr. Matt Dillon on Building Community through the Petal School District
For the second episode of Season 2 of Matter of Fact, we sit down with Dr. Matt Dillon, superintendent of the Petal School District, to talk about what makes the district unique and how the surrounding community continues to shape the education students receive. A self-proclaimed "Pine Belt guy,"...
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Blake Levine on Independent Journalism and Building Community Through Athletics
Season 2 of Matter of Fact is officially here, and we’re kicking things off with Blake Levine, a Mississippi transplant whose career has taken him through several stops in the world of broadcast journalism before finding a new lane in social media. A Syracuse University graduate, Blake got his...
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Greene County Gets Back to Business
In this episode of Matter of Fact, guest host Morgan Gill takes listeners behind RHCJC News’ reporting on efforts to revive chamber-style business support in Greene County. The episode explores why local leaders, business owners and community members say small businesses need stronger…
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Preserving the Past: Perry County Reopens Museum
In this episode of Matter of Fact, we take a closer look at the reopening of the Perry County Museum in Runnelstown and what it means for a community working to preserve its history. More than 20 years after Hurricane Katrina disrupted the county’s original museum, artifacts once scattered across...
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Rebuilding local news in Lumberton
In this episode of Matter of Fact, we examine how a grassroots effort in Lumberton, Mississippi, is working to rebuild local access to information by bringing back a print newspaper. Based on the RHCJC News story, “Grassroots effort brings print newspaper back to Lumberton,” this episode looks at...
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Inside Kamp Joy’s 20-year mission
On this episode of Matter of Fact, host Sami Jordan takes listeners to Perry County, where Kamp Joy is marking 20 years of helping children and families better understand and manage their emotions. The program began in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and has grown into a long-running community...
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Drawing the Lines: How Growth Influences School Boundaries
Housing growth is reshaping communities across Mississippi’s Gulf Coast — and in Jackson County, that growth is beginning to affect local schools. In this episode of Matter of Fact, we take a closer look at how new housing developments in the St. Martin area are prompting the Jackson County…
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Behind the bridge closure: Safety, records and public accountability
When a bridge suddenly closes, the immediate concern is safety. But for reporters in Ocean Springs, the closure of the Davis Bayou Bridge raised another question: what information about infrastructure safety should the public be able to access? In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the...
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Closing the Distance: Pearl River County’s Pet Initiative
When a pet goes missing, every hour matters. In Pearl River County, local volunteers and law enforcement are working together to shorten the time between “lost” and “home.” In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the reporting of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s story, “Pearl...
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One Year of Reporting What Matters
One year ago, the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center began reporting across ten counties in southeast Mississippi — with a mission to strengthen local journalism and counter misinformation through consistent, community-based reporting. Twelve months later, that startup vision has grown into a...
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Bridging the Gap: Petal Infrastructure Project Sparks Momentum
After years of inspections, weight limits and safety concerns, a long-traveled bridge in Petal is being rebuilt — restoring more than just a roadway. City leaders say the replacement of the South George Street Bridge marks a turning point for infrastructure planning, neighborhood safety and…
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When AI Replicates You, Who Does the Law Protect?
Artificial intelligence is changing how we create, share and consume information — but it’s also raising urgent questions about ownership, consent and identity. As AI tools make it easier to replicate voices, faces and likenesses without permission, lawmakers in Mississippi are racing to address…
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Quiet at First: How Trust Turns into Trafficking
Human trafficking is often imagined as something distant or obvious — a crime that happens elsewhere or looks a certain way. But across Mississippi, survivors and advocates say trafficking often exists in plain sight, built on trust, manipulation and silence. In this episode of Matter of Fact, we...
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Local Voices, State Decisions: Inside Southeast Mississippi's Legislative Priorities
As Mississippi lawmakers launch the 2026 legislative session, the policy debates unfolding in Jackson are shaped by conversations happening far from the capitol — in city halls, county boardrooms and small-town streets across southeast Mississippi. In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind...
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A New Spin: How Southern Turnings is Shaping Downtown Wiggins
When people talk about revitalizing small towns, the conversation often centers on large developments and outside investment. But in Wiggins, Mississippi, change began with a single craft — and a commitment to community. In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the reporting of the Roy...
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Clean Sweep: Gulfport's Push for a Cleaner Community
Litter along Gulfport’s streets, parks and beaches has become a growing concern for residents who say the problem is affecting public health, neighborhood pride and the city’s image. In this episode of Matter of Fact, we go behind the reporting of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center story...
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Signed, Sealed, Delayed: A USPS promise Poplarville is still waiting on
The closure of Poplarville’s historic downtown post office in early 2022 set off a long and complicated process — one largely governed by federal procedures rather than local decision-making. After severe termite damage forced the U.S. Postal Service to shut down the building, responsibility for...
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Weight of the State: Mississippi’s Growing Health Crisis
It can start quietly — with joint pain that won’t go away, bloodwork that raises concerns or exhaustion that feels harder to shake with each passing year. For hundreds of thousands of Mississippians, those early signs often lead to a much larger diagnosis tied to obesity and chronic disease.…
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What’s in the Words? The Battle Against Adult Illiteracy
It starts with a moment many of us know well — standing in a doctor’s office, handed a form we’re expected to read and sign without hesitation. But for thousands of Mississippians, that moment brings something else: uncertainty, embarrassment and the fear of getting something wrong. Across the...
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What's in the Water? The Fight Over Fluoride
It started with a simple letter in the mail — the kind most people might toss aside without a second glance. But for residents of Oak Grove, Mississippi, it sparked a question that reached far beyond the tap: Should the North Lamar Water Association stop adding fluoride to its drinking water?…
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About this show
Ever wonder how local news stories come to life? Matter of Fact goes beyond the headlines to show how community journalism works — and why it matters. Produced by the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, which is supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation and The University of Southern Mississippi, each episode pulls back the curtain on storytelling — from first idea to final edit. Through candid conversations with reporters, editors and community members, we explore what it takes to tell stories that build trust, spark conversations and strengthen truth-based journalism.
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Roy Howard Community Journalism Center
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