Mississippi Today dropped from press list in wake of watchdog reporting

Mississippi Today was removed from the press distribution list of the speaker for the state’s House of Representatives in April 2025, in apparent retaliation for critical reporting. The nonprofit newsroom, the largest in the state, was also subsequently excluded from a press event in the speaker’s office.

On April 23, Mississippi Today reported that Speaker Jason White, his staff and some of their spouses went on an unreported trip to New Orleans for the 2025 Super Bowl paid for, at least in part, by the sports gambling company DraftKings.

The news outlet added that the trip occurred less than a week after White oversaw the House’s approval of legislation to legalize mobile sports betting in the state.

Reporter Michael Goldberg wrote later that Mississippi Today was removed from the speaker’s news distribution list shortly after the article was published. The speaker’s office also stopped responding to the newsroom’s requests for comment.

White’s Communications Director Taylor Spillman — who was among the staff members who participated in the trip to Louisiana — did not respond to questions concerning the rationale behind the office’s decision.

On Jan. 5, 2026, the day before the legislative session was to begin, Mississippi Today was excluded from a news conference with White in his office at the Capitol in Jackson. Goldberg was denied entry to the event because he hadn’t been sent “an exclusive invitation,” according to an assistant for the speaker, who also asserted that it wasn’t a news conference, but a “specific Q&A.”

Mississippi Today Editor-in-Chief Emily Wagster Pettus said in a statement to the news outlet that the exclusion was unwarranted.

“Our journalists are careful to cover the news accurately and with context,” she said. “We and other news organizations are the eyes and ears of the public at the state Capitol. It is petty and wrong for Speaker Jason White — or any other elected official — to cut off media access.”

When reached for comment by the Clarion Ledger, White restated that the event was “an invitation-only media opportunity, not an open, public press conference.” He did not explain why Mississippi Today was excluded. White’s office did not respond to questions about whether he plans to host a public news conference.