Friday, December 30, 2022

Coming: The Magnolia Tribune

Change is a'coming to Mississippi media.  Y'all Politics will transform into the Mississippi Tribune after Russ Latino purchased the YP operation from Alan Lange.  Mr. Lange wrote on Y'all Politics this week: 

over the past year, we came to realize that to survive and thrive, Y’all Politics would need to evolve and grow. This would require a brand shift to align our brand with the news outlet we had years ago become. It also required an overdue technology and social media reboot and a wider breadth of coverage to include business news and cultural content on what makes our state unique.

In recent months, we began discussions with a start-up non-profit media outlet, Magnolia Tribune Institute, that came forward with an aligned vision to deliver reliable news, good business and culture coverage, and thoughtful perspective. Those discussions culminated in Jackson New Media, the parent company of Y’all Politics, entering into a charitable contribution agreement to donate all of its assets to the new venture. The donation has now been completed.

Mr. Latino issued this email recently: 

Family, Friends, and Colleagues, 

 

I hope everyone had a relaxing Christmas holiday. A few weeks ago I shared with you the personal news that I would be leaving my role at Empower Mississippi to take on a new venture. I wanted to now share with you what that venture is as we near our launch.

 

Beginning in January, I will lead a new non-profit media organization in Mississippi. Magnolia Tribune will be built different from other news outlets—designed to fill a significant gap in the current marketplace. Mississippi has a positive story to tell. We will tell it. Faith in traditional media has been undermined by blatant bias and often by careless reporting of complex issues. We will work to restore trust.

 

The concept is to be an in-state Wall Street Journal, with reliable straight news, unique business and culture coverage, and thoughtful perspective. Our goal will be to balance the media ecosystem to ensure that all points of view are heard. While our commentary will often appeal to conservatives, we will not shy from providing a platform for divergent viewpoints. We believe that people benefit from hearing the whole story and being able to make their own decisions with good information.

 

Over the next several months and beyond, I will be working with our team to feverishly build. I’ve likened the process to building an airplane as it is taking off. But we are not starting from nothing. I have been very heartened by the contributions that have already come in to help launch the effort. We also have received as a donation the assets owned by Jackson New Media, Inc., including the Y’all Politics’ brand. While Y’all Politics will cease operation in January, what it has built over the last 18 years will strengthen Magnolia Tribune, allowing us to start with a content archive of over 60,000 pieces, an email list of over 34,000, and a staff ready to begin reporting in January. We are thankful to be on solid ground at launch.

 

If you would like to help in our efforts, I’ve started a “Give Butter” campaign today in hopes of raising funds through the end of the year; Magnolia Tribune Launch (givebutter.com). This is for friends and family. Any gift would be appreciated....

 

Best Regards,

 

Russ

 

 

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope they have good investigative reporting.The Mississippi Today model would be a good one.Let the facts speak for themselves.

Anonymous said...

Good for Russ.
I am hopefully it will be a return to factual journalism without the slant and bias that seems to be a requirement these days.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful news - a local rag designed to emulate FOX News. Fair and Balanced reporting! not

Anonymous said...

A niche we need to fill! Adam G has already started to attack Russ before the org is up and running. That means that it is the right time for this news group!

Anonymous said...

What's the matter 10:54, skeer'd of being pushed out of your "woke" safe place that CNN (Communist News Network) provides you?????

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, 10:54 (the 2nd one) would clearly prefer for Russ to emulate CNN and their fair and balanced reporting...not!

The rest of us sane folks will hold out hope that it is simply real journalism.

Anonymous said...

so it wont be a mouth piece for the MS GOP anymore ?

Anonymous said...

Russ is Right-

Anonymous said...

Haha…..MS Today reporting “facts”. MS Today and it’s reporters are spoon fed “facts” by politicians looking to push a narrative. They’re good story tellers, mixing some fact (with incomplete detail) with personal agendas of both the reporters and politicians alike. The Magnolia Tribune will be no different.

Anonymous said...

"Wonderful news - a local rag designed to emulate FOX News."

Anyone who relies on one source for news is a fool. Anyone who desires the news to only present their point of view is a bigot. However, a conservative angle fills a gap, since the Clarion-Ledger and the Jackson Free Press, as well as all the local TV stations, already skew left to far left.

Anonymous said...

The notion that right-wing viewpoints can’t get a hearing in the current Mississippi media landscape is so silly.

Anonymous said...

Will somebody please tell Latino that it is NOT necessary for every sentence to contain 348 words. He's on Supertalk today and never stops talking.

Russ Latino said...

12:29, I'm not on SuperTalk today (6 words). I was yesterday (3 words). You just told me (4 words). Thanks (1 word). Talk radio involves talking, especially when no guests were booked for me (12 words). But your criticism is fair (5 words). I do like talking (4 words). Now, I really want to see if I can come up with a 348 word sentence (16 words).

Anonymous said...

Well there you go Fish, you will have the market to yo self soon. This will crash and burn before you know it!

Anonymous said...

Remember that time MT started reporting on the TANF funds, but forgot to mention that Adam G’s mother was the AGO attorney that approved the transaction with USM?

Anonymous said...

I'm calling for a steel cage match between the JFP and the MT. No time limit, no holds barred. The results will be published in the Clarion Ledger sometimes next week.

Anonymous said...

Latino is so cringe

Anonymous said...

Great news. This is a really positive development for Mississippi. We desperately need a WSJ-type media presence in the state.

Anonymous said...

Please do some investigative reporting. Especially how friends and family of people in high gov't offices get preferential treatment from government contracts IE: son in laws potentially lobbying his father-in-law in the senate. Sons working for government contractors. How the MHP treats Jimbo and others. I'm sick and tired of people in high places, government agencies and others treat us poor smucks out in the hinterland. Trying to get some of our elected officials to pay attention to anybody other than NMMC, UMMC, Blue Cross, and Ingals is a fools errand.

bill said...

Boy, some of you chowderheads aren’t happy with anything. If Russ is running the thing it will be good. He’s generally the smartest one in the room, even when it’s a big room. I can’t wait to see what’s comes out of this.

Anonymous said...

I love this.

Russ Latino has already caused the "Woke Cult" to have to change their underwear ... even before this new network launches.

Anonymous said...

3:40 must be his water-carrying sidekick, Billingsly. And yes, the post was correct, Latino never shuts up. I think the proper descriptive noun is elocutionist.

Anonymous said...

December 30, 2022 at 2:13 PM, only if the Kingfish is the referee.

Anonymous said...

3:40 all you Libertarians think your the smartest people in the room. That’s a requirement for being a libertarian.

Anonymous said...

Russ may be too thinned skinned to handle the job. One comment should not ruffle your feathers if you work in the media. Toughen up, Russ. No need to get your panties in a wad!!

Anonymous said...

Non profit...says all anyone needs to know

Anonymous said...

I’ve talked to Russ a lot about this and intend to be a supporter financially. This is going to be a great addition to the Mississippi media ecosystem and I think it is going to surprise a lot of folks, who are assuming this is going to just be a mouthpiece for the state Republican Party. It’s going to do real and deep reporting and not have the sort of agenda-driven journalism you see at Mississippi Today. Some Republicans will end up complaining that it’s not pushing republicans talking points the way MT does for the Democrats, but everyone interested in well done, deeply researched journalism will benefit from what Russ is doing.

Anonymous said...

Mississippi Today is (was) a good idea. But they decided to follow the "all things liberal" slant that doomed the Clarion-Ledger. So instead of becoming relevant, Mississippi Today is simply a politically redundant version of the Clarion-Ledger.

Augie Case said...

Russ: Just listed to any recording of any appearance and you'll have evidence of the 348 word sentences, without a breath, a comma or semi-colon. lol.

Alan, or whoever wrote the introduction piece...Very wordy, but why post it twice it?

Now, we wait with high anticipation to see what Gerard's role will be. Will Russ' new gig have a Board of Directors, or will there be a Golden Microphone for the Local-Limbaugh?

PS: Do not be stealin' Jackson Jambalaya news reports!

Anonymous said...

"Mississippi media ecosystem - I will be contributing - You will be surprised"

And you know these things, how? Oh, wait...You've talked to Russ. Those in this state who listen to or read news are of one brand or the other, Democrat or Republican. Not many will be interested in (contributing) news that represents both, as if such is even possible. There is no such thing as 'Fair and Balanced Reporting' and it will not be seen in this new effort other than as a perfunctory attempt.

Lots of posts complaining that Mississippi Today is a Democrat/Liberal mouthpiece, but not one post mentioning the fact that the Statewide News Medium, Supertalk, is nothing but a Republican mouthpiece and Mr. Latino appears there on a regular basis.

And After Further Review... said...

I remember, five or six years ago, when Latino called me a liar for saying he had gone to work for the Koch brothers. His bio, or whatever you call his announcement, pretty much confirms the truth of that. And, yes, he's thin-skinned.

And one reason, or maybe the most obvious one, he appears on SuperSquawk so often is that Gerard is the one who brought Latino back to town and gave him his immediate past job.

Anonymous said...

December 30, 2022 at 6:33 PM, and??

Anonymous said...

We need more news outlets to emulate InfoWars instead of Fox or CNN.

Anonymous said...

6:39...AND...they're not other than in the minds of each other. It's a small, yet mutual admiration society. A snooty group that thinks it has all the answers...even before the questions are asked.

'Limited Gubment...Limited Gubment'. Learn that chant and the handshake and you're in.

Anonymous said...

Then this means the death of one more use of the word “y’all” by some journalist or advertising account executive. It’s their odious way of saying, “Hey, we jus’ folks like you. Come try our product.”

No, you’re not just folks. You’re scum-sucking leeches seeking to profit from people you regard beneath you. I’m elated over the demise of “Y’all Politics.”

Anonymous said...

Mississippi Today is a left wing blog. I don't care how partisan Russ is, he'll be less partisan and more factual and honest than them.

Anonymous said...

Mississippi Today is a left wing blog. I don't care how partisan Russ is, he'll be less partisan and more factual and honest than them.

Anonymous said...

I had a Mississippi Today reporter slant her story to fit her narrative. It wound up backfiring on her, but no one cares. Come to think of it I don't either. It the norm for today.

Anonymous said...

December 31, 2022 at 10:20 AM, I see the government is god crowd as shown up. In your limited intellectual experience, you find it a barbaric act for someone to think more government isn't the answer, right? What a moroon.

Anonymous said...

Is Russ gonna be primarily funded by the taxpayers like Supertalk?

Anonymous said...

11:18 - Who mentioned anything related to what you're complaining about? Point out the post.

Anonymous said...

"...The rest of us sane folks will hold out hope that it is simply real journalism."

Please point out one time in his (Nonprofit) lifetime Latino has engaged in 'real journalism'. He's always been a mouthpiece-shill for republicans, conservatives and whatever he thinks Libertarians are. How the hell is that 'journalism'?

Since leaving the law firm he's been a commentator, an opinion-piece orator, an elocutionist. Point us to one time when he's been a 'journalist'. Are you suggesting he's turned over a new leaf in the new year?

Anonymous said...

I have questions.

Will there be a radio program?

Will there be a print edition?

Will there be an online, live broadcast?

Will calls be allowed to a broadcast show?

Will there be a C-Spire Text Line with texts coming in from the same four guys every day?

Will there only be endless lectures?

What's the format going to be?

Will Russ steal one of Lynn's new girl lawyers?

Will Russ offer Kingfish a job?

Will Kingfish tell Russ to take a hike?

Will Russ, to be fair, rent a Jackson loft apartment?

Will the 'Rankin Roundtable' take up a weekly collection?

Will Russ' handlers hire a coach to teach him how to interact with normal people?

Will Russ run for State Auditor?

Anonymous said...

JJ will continue to be the go to site for any type of investigative journalism. Russ' new site doesn't have a comments function, so it'll be all him talking with no opposition. Self-serving if you ask me. Time will tell what story he blows the lid off of...or just more bloviating.

Anonymous said...

@ 6:58 - I missed it. Please post a link to the location of Russ' new site. thanks.

If it has no comment section, it will duplicate that of his puppeteer, Girard, who doesn't allow callers to his 'opinion show' and who carefully screens what appears on his facebook group page.

Censorship is not peculiar to liberals and it's so typical that Russ' format will only be him talking, non-stop, even if it is in a print format.

Latino will be back in D.C. panhandling again in six months.

Kingfish said...

Well, if Russ tells lies in his new project as he's told about me, it won't last that long or have much credibility.

Anonymous said...

How about an update, Kingfish. I've heard or read nothing more about this than you've posted here. Where is 'this thing' now? Has it rolled out or is there a flat tire? Is he awaiting marching orders from the Rankin Breakfast Roundtable?

As an old mentor used to say: He has some real positive thoughts about himself.

PS: Remind us what lies he told about you, not that lies are foreign to Latino.

Kingfish said...

Well, scumbag at 3:40, you are dead wrong. He was in the hospital suffering from a stroke when that comment was made. Hope that makes you happy.


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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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