It's the last call for Jackson Jambalaya's annual fund-raising drive. Your support makes this website possible and it would not have made it this far without you. JJ led the way in reporting on the Jackson water crisis and covered stories the media would not touch, right. However, the need for your support remains as strong as ever.
JJ is the leading blog in Mississippi and breaks more than a few news stories. It was JJ that uncovered the EPA emergency administrative order, an order the Mayor hid from the public for over a year and lied when faced with exposure. It was JJ that busted the Jackson Mayor for repeatedly lying to the national media that the state did not pay for its water. As Jackson went without water for months, JJ brought more transparency and sunlight to Jackson's water system than the rest of the Mississippi media combined. JJ leads on public records fights with three lawsuits and ten public records complaints. When the Pelahatchie Board of Aldermen tried to whisper their way through work sessions huddled in a corner, it was JJ that put a stop to it. Then there is the little matter of a $200 million fraud in the Mississippi Delta. Ignored by all media except a few small websites, JJ broke story after story on the Express Grain fraud.
Not all bit stories were about fraud. JJ
is proud of the work it did on the Todd Mardis case. While the media
ignored the case for months, yours truly covered the hearings, reporting
the details of one of the worst domestic violence cases in this area.
The so-called crime reporters were nowhere to be found, of course.
The
site averages over 310,000 unique visitors and 1,000,000 page views per
month. However, it costs money to run this website and nothing gets
cheaper. JJ spends probably $500 every quarter for court records
that are posted (between MEC and Pacer). Public records requests drive
up the costs some more. For example, UMC wanted $90 for a copy of a
purchase agreement. Some of those MSDH emails cost $100 or more. Those
advertising invoices? $372. Enjoy reading the syndicated columns? Like
those Rick Guy photos and Bill Wilson courtroom sketches? Do you watch
those Youtube videos ? JJ several times paid someone to videotape them when the Kingfish could not attend the event. Then there are subscriptions. JJ
pays for subscriptions to Adobe professional, MS Office, and other
software that are required to do the job. Oh yes, don't forget court
transcriptions. When you see court transcriptions on this site, that
means JJ has to purchase them. You get the idea. Many of the posts you either need to read or enjoy reading costs money.
JJ does not have a pay wall nor does it have subscription drives as some websites. JJ depends on your support to keep the lights turned on and lead the way in Mississippi.
Any support you can give Jackson Jambalaya is greatly appreciated. The ten, twenty, or thirty thousand dollars you donate will be put to good use. You
can pay through the Paypal button at the top of the site, mail a check
to payable to Jackson Jambalaya at the address posted below, or simple
ask me to come by your office (Frankly, the postal service has been
pretty undependable lately.) Thank you for your support of Jackson Jambalaya.
The mailing address is:
ATTN: Jackson Jambalaya
1220 East Northside Drive, Ste. 170, Box 189
