Donna Ladd (born October 9, 1961) is an American investigative journalist who co-founded the ''

Jackson Free Press The ''Jackson Free Press'' ''(JFP)'' is an alternative weekly magazine available free of charge in Jackson, Mississippi and surrounding suburbs. It was founded in 2002 by Mississippi native Donna Ladd and author and technology expert Todd Stau ...

'', a community magazine,Kuldell, Heather (2007-06-15). "AAN Announces AltWeekly Awards Winners". Association of Alternative Newsmedia, 15 June 2007. Retrieved on 2009-11-03 fro
Archive
. and later, the '' Mississippi Free Press'', an online news publication that emphasizes

solutions journalism Solutions journalism is an approach to news reporting that focuses on the responses to social issues as well as the problems themselves. Solutions stories, anchored in credible evidence, explain how and why responses are working, or not working. ...

where Ladd currently serves as editor. She is noted for highlighting the historical and continuing role of race in current events, for investigative reporting that helped convict klansman

James Ford Seale James Ford Seale (June 25, 1935 – August 2, 2011) was a Ku Klux Klan member charged by the U.S. Justice Department on January 24, 2007, and subsequently convicted on June 14, 2007, for the May 1964 kidnapping and murder of Henry Hezekiah Dee a ...

for his role in the 1964 civil rights kidnappings and deaths of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, and for her coverage of

Frank Melton Frank Ervin Melton (March 19, 1949 – May 7, 2009) was the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, United States, from 4 July 2005 until his death on 7 May 2009. Melton, an African American, defeated the city's first black mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr ...

, the controversial mayor of

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

Early life and education

Ladd was born in

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Philadelphia is municipal corporation, i ...

on October 9, 1961. Her father was an

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

who flunked out of

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

while her mother was illiterate. In 1983, Ladd completed her

bachelor of arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

and moved to Colorado to pursue a career in journalism. She helped start ''The Colorado Springs Independent'',

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

' first alternative newspaper. Then in 1999, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where she wrote for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' and pursued a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in journalism from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, which she earned in 2001.

Career in Mississippi

After she finished schooling, Ladd returned to Mississippi and co-founded the ''

'' in 2002 with her partner Todd Stauffer. She served as editor-in-chief until 2021, when she began to devote more attention to the '' Mississippi Free Press'', a nonprofit newsroom she co-founded in 2020. The ''Mississippi Free Press'' acquired the ''Jackson Free Press'' in 2022, of which Ladd is the editor-in-chief.

James Ford Seale reporting

In July 2005, Donna Ladd, along with photographer Kate Medley, accompanied Thomas Moore and filmmaker

David Ridgen David Ridgen is an independent Canadian filmmaker born in Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario. He has worked for CBC Television, MSNBC, NPR, TVOntario and others. He is currently the writer, producer and host of CBC Radio’s true-crime podca ...

to Moore's hometown of

Meadville, Mississippi Meadville is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Mississippi, United States, in the southwest part of the state. The population was 449 at the 2010 census, down from 519 at the 2000 census. It is situated north of the Homochitto R ...

, to investigate the 1964 Ku Klux Klan murders of Moore's brother, Charles Moore, and his friend Henry Dee. Ladd's reporting in the ''Jackson Free Press'' revealed that the lead suspect,

, was still alive and residing in the area, contrary to prior reports by other media outlets claiming he was deceased. Her work helped renew national attention on the case, leading to Seale's indictment by the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

in January 2007. He was convicted later that year and sentenced to life in prison.Bebawi, Mark (2007-08-26). "Mississippi journalist DONNA LADD on the 1964 Klan double murder prosecution and conviction". ''The Monitor'', 26 August 2007. Retrieved on 2009-11-03 from http://themonitor.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/show-details-for-august-26th-2007/. Ladd's coverage received national and international recognition, including from

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, and the

Poynter Institute The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a non-profit journalism school and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The school is the owner of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' newspaper and the International Fact-Checking Netw ...

Diversity work

Ladd was formerly the national Diversity Chair for the

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally liberal or progressive weekly newspapers across the United States and in Canada. A ...

. She taught annual writing workshops at the Academy for Alternative Journalism at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

every summer, a program to increase diversity in the alternative press. Her work for racial conciliation and justice in the state have been recognized widely, including in a '' Glamour'' magazine profile, as well as by other media outlets. Ladd has served previously on the board of directors of the

and as its national Diversity Chair. She is also vice president of the ACLU of Mississippi.

Awards

*In 2006, Ladd and Mississippi

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

chapter president

Derrick Johnson Derrick O'Hara Johnson (born November 22, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, twice earning consensus All-Amer ...

were co-recipients of the Friendship Award, an annual prize given by Jackson 2000, a racial reconciliation group. *Ladd has received six awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies for her investigative work and political commentary, including for her Dee-Moore series and as part of the team that investigated Mayor Frank Melton. *2005, Ladd was designated one of Mississippi's leading 50 businesswomen by the ''

Mississippi Business Journal ''The Mississippi Business Journal'' is a statewide monthly business newspaper, located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Each issue contains news coverage relating to the Mississippi business world along with regular opinion and freelance columns. Issu ...

'' *In 2024, Ladd was named one of the Top CEOs in Mississippi by the

"Mississippi Free Press Co-Founder, Editor and CEO Donna Ladd Named A Top CEO by Business Journal, ''The Mississippi Free Press'', 17 June 2024"
/ref>

References

External links

Donna Ladd's BlogDonna Ladd's AAN AwardsErica Beras, "Donna Ladd: Reporting Her Face Off in Mississippi"
Association of Alternative News, 13 Oct 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ladd, Donna American investigative journalists 1961 births Living people People from Philadelphia, Mississippi Mississippi State University alumni Journalists from Mississippi