Jackson Jambalaya

But of Course she doesn't criticize the Jackson Advocate for targeting only African American markets. What hypocrisy!

Um, DonnerK preaching about journalistic ethics? How cute.

Nice try, Donna, but this is not even "journalism ethics." Journalism is, ostensibly, the practice of reporting the news. VIP Jackson, as she mentioned, is a pay-for-coverage affair -- aka advertising. Agnew has no control over who chooses to place their wedding/engagement announcement in their magazine. If the paper sent a reporter and photographer to every wedding in town, then she could cite this as a journalistic issue.

When I was lifestyles editor at a non-Gannet newspaper, we were one of the few remaining publications that didn't charge for these types of announcements. We DID have more diversity because of that, and we did get to exercise more editorial control over the content. When you charge money for the service, it's all in the hands of the "customer."

Perhaps Donna's ire should focus on the people of Jackson who deign to pay to see their announcements in print. Better yet, maybe she should call for a special charity established for those who can't afford it. That'd be right in line with her skewed priorities.

You think maybe the great harbinger of race in this city might offer their own wedding announcements along side bar ads and band schedules.

Better watch out, Kingfish. She might try to sue you, lol.

No, she'll write a cyberstalking column about me then talk about trying to press such charges against me. For the record, this was sent to me by someone else. Never seen her facebook page and have no desire to do so.

Ladd typically refuses to acknowledge that "Jackson" includes Madison and Rankin Counties, not to mention those people in Tyram or Berry or whatever those little places on the way to NOLA are.

This is someone who referred to Margarita's on County Line Road as "too far" to visit.

First, you must understand the origination of VIP Jackson. VIP Jackson, TN (where Leigh Reeves is from) and VIP Memphis existed long before VIP Jackson, MS. Leigh Reeves copied the business model and brought it to Jackson, MS. She ran it profitably and Gannett purchased it. Donna asks why so few people of color in the publication. The answer is because that is not the target market of the advertisers. How many people of color do you see when you go in Juniker Jewelers or when you go to the Runnels Clinic of Plastic Surgery? Their target market are upper end white people. It is not racist, it is just businesses going after their target market. This is marketing 101, but they don't teach that in the journalism department. I promise you that if more people of color patronized some of VIP's advertisers, they would start showing up at their parties too. I don't expect Donna Ladd to understand this, but anyone who understands business should. As for why Ronnie Agnew doesn't do anything about the diverstity, that is because he doesn't own Gannett. He runs the Clarion Ledger. If a bigger company were to (foolishly) purchase the JFP, if Donna was even allowed to continue her biased reporting there, she damn sure would be powerless to control what goes on at the other publications owned by the larger company. Again, they don't teach business in the journalism department, so don't expect her to understand anything beyond what goes on in her distorted mind.

It's worrisome that so many are soooo concerned about this obvious woman. She's got her schtick, like most of us. Disagree with her? So what? Don't read her crap. (Works great for me.) Or keep buying Mylanta and wallowing in her soup. Ah...pity the fool...

Just posted it here for humor purposes. Actually, VIP targets its readers by zip codes, zip codes based on income levels. Nothing to do with race but is all about the income levels. Mercedes isn't going to advertise in the South Jackson Social Register

She's got her schtick, like most of us. Disagree with her? So what? Don't read her crap. (Works great for me.)

Absolutely agree. I don't go there and don't miss it. Frankly, I thought the Miss. State Tax Commission had long ago shut that infestation down.

I really don't see the difference between VIP Jxn and MS Magazine (esp the wedding part).

My slogan for VIP has always been, "....when the Northside Sun just won't do."

I, too, and tired of all the tyrades against Donna and JFP, but this got under my skin.
Donna seems racist against her own race!
VIP mag covers upscale events....if you want your picture in the magazine then pay the high price these events require and go! Quit sitting around and bitching about it.
I love VIP and Northside Sun magazine. I love seeing people and seeing all the events that take place in Jackson. Mississippi has such a bad rap...all you do is turn on the news or open the paper and it is crime after crime after crime...And, sadly, majority are caused by AFRICAN AMERICANS. Why not report on that instead of bashing a magazine that covers events?
VIP isn't free if you get a subscription...We have a subscription and we had to pay for it....even though we are white-GASP-
JFP is in a COMPLETELY different league than VIP. It seems just going back and reading her tweets and posts that she is a little jealous...and perhaps intimidated.
And some of her sponsored events are covered in VIP and Northside Sun....
Her fb post just pissed me off basically so I am rambling on and on...She needs to get a grip and stick to her newspaper and quit bashing adverisement in other magazines. Perhaps if she had other advertising in her paper other than tattoo and incense shops then it would capture more readers...

8:26, you are right on the mark. I have only read JFP once, right after I moved here two years ago, and have steered clear of it since. I was appalled by Ms. Ladd's "editorial" about Bush tax cuts and the racism involved in them. She obviously has not taken Macro Economics 101 .. or any economics class for that matter.... or she would never had written that column. Her audience seems to be people that have no jobs, no directions in life and are looking for someone else to blame for their lot in life. It strikes me as a paper one reads when they are in college and smoke a lot of pot.... Atlanta has a paper like this called "High Times."

Shoe Girl, DonnerK's reader base is limited to folks that have less than a 30 IQ, that kinda makes it hard to sell ads to businesses other than those you listed.

I don't think that it's an IQ issue at all. It's just a different demographic target. High-end car dealerships spend thousands of dollars monthly to atttract customers that are good prospects. Not everyone is...and yet they are unapologetic for setting their sights on those that are. What is the difference...and why is she such an angry woman? What a shame that the negative energy she expends trying to incite the next big race riot can't be better channeled.

Just to clarify though...VIP sits in rack all over town don't they? Why do people keep referring to the fact that they are mailed? I've never gotten one in the mail. I guess they are referring to a subscription? ...and something is wrong with that? I do know that they insert the magazine into the Clarion Ledger in key zip codes for added targeted dstribution. I guess I'm still confused as to what the actual problem is.

VIP READER-
I have a subscription...a paid subscription. That was my point! VIP just doesn't mail it out....you have to have a subscription to it. If not, it is free at newstands.
It is just absurd

Yall sum ponks yall is.Youknoamsayin?MS Donna she good Youknoamsayin? All yall be hating on Ms Donna cause she change her mind set. Youknoamsayin? Donna she think she be an o pressed black mans in the 50's in MS. Youknoamsayin? Donna gwine get a head to toe black tattoo soon Youknoamsayin? Den nobodys think she the white debil. Umm humm.. sho nuff. A lot of peoples was sure Ms Donna not racist against black anyway cause she done had mo black tallywhackers in her than the men's room of the Harlem YMCA. Youknoamsayin?

Yall kluckers about runned Miss Donna crazy with yall ku klux mess over on this blog. When Ms Donna snap and yall see it on TV reporting Miss Donna without no clothes and she be on top of the standards lifes blg capping mofos wif a .308 singing the Sponge Bob song yall gonna be sorry yall drived her crazy! Youknoamsayin?

Peace out you cracker blue eyed devils. Long live JFP!


( this post is intended for comedy only and lampoons no individual living or dead..Youknoamsayin)

Anon 10:56, we can disagree that it is an IQ issue, but you do understand that the Big Dog at the JFP, DonnerK, is calling Ronnie Agnew of the Clarion Ledger an "Uncle Tom" and a race traitor, right? Not only is that asinine, but it the epitome of racism. DonnerK being the LEADER of the group should be the smartest one, right? If she is stupid enough to call out someone that is nearly a black supremacist on being an "Uncle Tom," how stupid must she be? And if she is that stupid, how stupid must her followers be?

It is simple logic, you know?

Donna Ladd reminds me a lot of some girls I remember from high school. You know the ones I'm talking about.. When they weren't on homecoming court, it was because it was rigged. When they didn't make class favorites, it was a conspiracy. When they didn't win the school pageant, it was "all because of those racist judges!"..and then went on griping about it through graduation and beyond.

She is just like that. And that woman sees COLOR, zip codes, and income levels more than anyone I've ever witnessed. Must be an exhausting way to be, constantly taking inventory.

Can't people just be people, or does there always have to be a classification to it? I guess in Ladd World, there does have to be..so you will always know who to blame. Me? Growing up, when I bitched about something, my parents said, "sometimes, little stiletto, that's life." Not, "Let's form a coalition." Crazy, huh?

But 'cha know what, I bet if somebody offered Ladd a chance to get all prettied up, put on a fabulous dress, and take the cover..she wouldn't turn it down.

Her rant sounds very "Marsha Marsha Marsha!" to me.

Anybody interested in a half-price fashion show ticket? Unless, of course, you already bought a full priced one before the panic and fire-sale.

Ugh!! Well when you put it that way I can definitely see the writing on the wall. GROSS!! She's hostile...and dangerous...like staph infection dangerous. What a drag.

Can I just say that The Clarion-Ledger is completely out of touch with what people like and don't like about it.
6:56 PM Nov 5th via TweetDeck

DonnerKay

The JFP is so freaking boring I'm surprised they're still in business. Even the ads are boring. I've never read an interesting article in the rag and never taken it home from an establishment.

There is no doubt in my mind that somewhere during her career Donna Ladd was turned down for a job at the Clarion-Ledger.

Ray Carter is off from work!!!

you need to ask Donna Ladd where she lives....and for the record...she does not live on West Capitol Street...no..she lives in lilly white Fundren.....wonder why that is?

I wish Ya'll realized how charming you all are! I wish I could come home. But for now I have to just look in from the outside.

When I was going to Houston on the early mornin flight two weeks ago I flew over "J". Just after dawn and the lights were still quite evident. The place is huge and you need to see it from 28.000 feet to really get the scope. Yep, it all looks like one big city. No multi colored highlighters designating Jackson from her "burbs". It's allone big Jackson from up "on high"! Also it's really interesting to see how really close in the reservior is to the middle of the metro. But with all the lights and how much it's grown since 1960 it just looks like Jackson has a huge lake right in the middle of it.

Oh and King, thanks soooo much for beating alabama but I think we're in deep dodo now with Cam........oh lordy. Where there's smoke there's fire and that's from an Auburn guy....oh lordy no.

also all good comments here. well stated. I like VIP. I recognize old friends and that's good for expats like me. But I also read JFP. It's liberal all right but it's part of the fabiric of "J" as well. I wish there were a more consevative Alternate newspaer to balacne it out. And no I don't consider the northside sun that alternate.

I commented on the worthless of JFP under another JJ article. I will save you all the repetition.

VIP is FREE if you subscribe to the CL. The magazines are shoved into the little plastic bag along with the newspaper. The VIP is even more worthless than JFP. Yet VIP is a bit more entertaining, in that many working class people, including myself, love to see how weird looking rich people are. We make bets on who has fake boobs, botox, etc. It's great fun when there is nothing else to do.

Just like JFP, the VIP is unnecessarily killing trees! There is nothing of substance in either publication.

Jerry Mitchell hit the nail on the head!

3:59- You are an idiot...it is not just rich people...it is about people in the community at fundraising events. You know, the events like Mistletoe, Cancer Society benefits, Leukemia benefits, Children home benefits, domestic violence benefits...and a hundred more...Instead of putting down these people, why don't you try actually talking to one of them...you might even actually (gasp) like them...boobs and all

I most surely like a nice rack of boobs.

I was going to say, the VIP at least celebrates giving, unlike others who celebrate 2fers on Open Mike night!

You go girl, shoegirl! ;)