Special to The Flash
Media professionals discussed the changing landscape of media and how student journalists should adjust during the 27th Annual O.C. McDavid Journalism Summit.
The summit, sponsored by the Mississippi Press Association (MPA), was held on March 20, 2025, at the Embassy Suites in Ridgeland, Miss.
Students from the Jackson State University campus newspaper, The Blue & White Flash, and other students from newspapers at other colleges and universities from Mississippi networked with media professionals. The Better Newspaper Contest (BNC) results were also announced during the summit.
The event began with a panel discussion: “Pathways to Journalism: The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center (RHCJC).” The panelists included RHCJC media professionals and student journalists.
RHCJC Director Nichole Cyprian discussed the current changes in newsrooms everywhere.
She explained that there were 100-plus people in the newsroom when she started, which included photographers, editors, and reporters from the Mobile Press Register.
“Flash forward to now,” Cyprian said. “That particular station is owned by Sinclair, and there may be a handful of people because they also have another station in Pensacola where they split most of their employees. So a station that had a 100 plus people in 2008 might have 12 who are working in the building in 2025.”
She urged the conference participants to understand and adjust to the changing media landscape.
“That’s just a reality of where our business is going, unfortunately. There are newspapers across Mississippi, Alabama, and the south that have shut down. There is less competition. There are less amounts of internships out there,” Cyprian stated. “The business has just changed, which brings opportunity as well. Change is not always scary and if I had to give any kind advice to you all as you enter into your prospective professions, it would be to get comfortable with change because it’s going to change even more. The hope is that it changes for the better as we go forward. But change will happen, so just get comfortable with the fact that it happens and how you adjust to change.”
RHCJC is housed at The University of Southern Mississippi and, according to their website, is dedicated to enhancing the media landscape in southeast Mississippi by prioritizing impactful, issue-oriented, and people-centered reporting. The center was formed with a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation.
The conference is named after the late O.C. McDavid, former managing editor of the Jackson Daily News, who also had a passion for the arts. Because of this the summit always merges journalism with the arts.
Freelance photographer Chris Todd and Marshall Ramsey, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Cartoonist, and Mississippi Editor-at-Large for Mississippi Today, also made presentations during the summit.
Many participants, including those from the Jackson State University campus newspaper, The Blue & White Flash, looked forward to the Better Newspaper Contest (BNC) awards presentation.
Cameron Adams, 2023-2024 Editor-in-Chief of The Blue & White Flash and current JSU University Communications Social Media Associate, won multiple awards in the contest.
“As the former Editor-in-Chief of The Flash, I believe that this conference is beneficial to students because it gives them a chance to rub elbows with fellow student journalists and gain ideas on improving their newspapers,” said Adams. “My first time attending the event was very impactful to me because I could listen and gain insight about how other students approached managing their staff. This allowed me to enter the next school year with new techniques on working better as a team rather than as individuals.”
Caylan Nixon, 2024 -2025 Flash Photography editor, won 1st Place in the Feature Photo category.
“Winning a photography award was cool, but this conference made me see that it’s not just about a great photography shot; it’s about telling a story that sticks with people. The event also gave me more insight on what improvements I need to make to help me win more awards next year,” said Nixon.
Matthew Adams, Flash Assistant Editor, also won multiple awards in the contest.
“Being a 1st place winner in the BNC will benefit me in my future media endeavors in many ways. One way is that I can show media companies that I apply for that I have the skills to help their publication or company flourish. Being a writer is a tedious but rewarding occupation; however, being a 1st place winner shows media companies that I can be an asset,” said Matthew. “The award proves that I am worthy of any position I apply for and can excel in.
The Blue & White Flash won a total of nine awards in the BNC:
1st place
Best Front Page – Cameron Adams
Best Editorials – (Cameron Adams, Matthew Adams, Zhane McCorvey, Elijah Karriem)
Best Sports Column – Matthew Adams
Best Feature Photo – Caylan Nixon
2nd Place
General Excellence – The Blue & White Flash
Best Sports News Story – Matthew Adams
Best Sports Feature – Matthew Adams
3rd Place
Best General News Story – Cameron Adams
Best Sports Photo – Caylan Nixon
