As the 60th anniversary of the integration at the University of Mississippi continues, the University of Mississippi will celebrate, honor and reflect upon the legacy of James Meredith. This fall, the Overby Center is hosting a variety of events to commemorate what took place on this campus 60 years ago. “James Meredith and the Media: the Legacy of a Riot” was a Sept. 27 event that featured distinguished journalists discussing the media’s coverage of the riots, as well as personal testimonies from the event.
The panel consisted of four members: Jesse Holland, professor at George Washington University and graduate of the University of Mississippi’s class of 1994, Kathleen W. Wickham, author and professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi, Sidna Brower Mitchell, former student editor of The Daily Mississippian and Curtis Wilkie, author and retired faculty member of the University of Mississippi. Both Mitchell and Wilkie were students at the University of Mississippi when James Meredith integrated. Mitchell, editor-in-chief of The Mississippian at the time, was responsible for putting in print a message urging students to stay calm during the event.
Media bias was especially prevalent in the 1960’s and still is today. Like many things in life, there are two sides to perspective — the way a story is told, and who’s story is being told. That variation in storytelling makes all the difference. Lack of perspective causes a disconnect: entire groups can be left out and essential nuance not considered. As the conversation between the panelists occured, their testimonies revealed not only the events that unfolded, but missing, unreported pieces of James Meredith’s integration story.
“We saw a campus that was normally concerned about football games… and then all of the sudden we got politics involved,” Mitchell said. “We were talking about what we could do to bring calm and obviously I felt (we needed) a newspaper.”
Obviously, writing this paper came with consequences. Facing public pressure, physical danger and concerns about her father’s business, it was challenging for Mitchell to know what exactly to write.
“I was very concerned about how what I wrote would impact his business, and when I expressed my concern my daddy said, ‘Don’t worry. Write what you think is right.’ And I did,” Mitchell said.
The responsibility she took on with her role in the media as a student wasn’t just influential, it was crucial in preserving those fateful events.
When asked whether or not the media did justice when covering the riots surrounding the integration of James Meredith, Wilkie said, “I’d be most critical (of) the Jackson Newspapers, which were, arguably, the most racist newspapers in America. They didn’t even bother to send reporters to cover the story… Meanwhile, all of their columnists were weighing in with the most outrageous kind of commentary about what was going on here.”
He emphasized that “the real failure was our own biggest newspapers of the state.” Although there is some knowledge about the different perspectives of the day, there are still many perspectives yet to be uncovered.
Kathleen Wickham, author of two books about the integration, emphasized where perspective has been lost.
“I think there’s more we need to know. I think what we haven’t (done) in academia a lot is… (cover the) impact on the Black community,” Wickham said. “I think there’s more we need to know because we also know that the Black community wasn’t one hundred percent all in favor of integration. There was dissension… that’s something we really haven’t explored.”
According to Wickham, there haven’t been any reports from a U.S Marshal’s perspective, which would add valuable insight to the story.
Journalists, due to their experiences and values, think and write from their own point of view. This is the case for nearly every journalist. Yes, we can put ourselves in others’ shoes and examine experiences. However, that figurative experience can never supersede personal experience. The journalistic duty of objectivity clashes with personality and agendas. To ensure credibility and accountability in the field, diversity in perspectives is evidently needed.
“Journalism is the first draft of history,” said Jesse Holland. “Because it is the first draft of history, we need to question it and analyze it.”
If we are leaving stories unchecked, journalism’s mission to educate is failing. In order to capture the full essence of the power of journalism, one-sidedness must be erased. If this fails to happen, not only will the complete story never be told — it will never be heard.
Perspective isn’t just about what exactly you bring to the table — it’s about who is being affected the most by being at the table.
Jensen Ware is a freshman journalism and public policy major from Chattanooga, Tenn.
