Senate Concurrent Resolution 558

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING CLARION-LEDGER INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JERRY MITCHELL UPON BEING NAMED A 2009 RECIPIENT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS MACARTHUR FOUNDATION "GENIUS GRANT."

WHEREAS, Clarion-Ledger investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell has been named a 2009 recipient of the prestigious $500,000 fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" program; and

WHEREAS, Jerry Mitchell worked for 20 years to uncover evidence in the unsolved killings of civil rights activists. His reporting has led to the long-delayed prosecution and conviction of four individuals; and

WHEREAS, the $500,000 annual MacArthur Foundation Grant recognizes and rewards a journalist whose reporting over time shows courage, integrity, curiosity and intelligence and epitomizes the role of journalism in a free society. Mitchell also received the John Chancellor Award on November 29, 2005, at a black-tie celebration at the Columbia University's Low Memorial Library; and

WHEREAS, the MacArthur Foundation, which has been awarding the grants since 1981, lists 15 journalists who were recognized in years past. But Mr. Mitchell's award is unusual because he is working for a small newspaper (circulation 75,000) in an era when papers' resources have been reduced, and many have come to see investigative reporting as a time-consuming extravagance they cannot afford; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Mitchell, who is married and has two children, said his editors have understood the value of investigations, even when it was hard to accommodate them, and they rarely avoided stories that made some readers irate; and

WHEREAS, Jerry Mitchell doesn't look the part of a crusader. Soft-spoken and self-effacing, Mitchell is one of the last people expected to be a bona fide rabble-rouser; and

WHEREAS, Jerry Mitchell's exploits were documented in part in the movie Ghosts of Mississippi, a dramatic retelling of the real-life effort of Mitchell and others to solve the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers; and

WHEREAS, he joined The Clarion-Ledger staff in his 20s, with his only previous experience in small town papers in Arkansas. Jerry Mitchell has been featured by ABC's 20/20, Brill's Content, Nightline, and other media for his continuing efforts to ferret out the truth about events taking place during the 1950s and 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Jerry Mitchell is deserving of this award because of his determined pursuit of the truth. He has shown strong, hard-nosed journalism throughout his career. He has a heart for people and a tremendous sense of justice; and

WHEREAS, "This award doesn't belong to me," Mitchell said. "It belongs to those who fought so that all Americans could be free. It belongs to those who never gave up hope and never gave up their belief in justice. It belongs to those who work with me and all those who have made Mississippi a better place"; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize this singular achievement by an individual who has brought honor to his newspaper and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Clarion-Ledger investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell upon being named the 2009 recipient of the prestigious $500,000 MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant," and extend to him the best wishes of the Legislature in his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Jerry Mitchell and be made available to The Clarion-Ledger and members of the Capitol Press Corps.