Making funny videos and engaging audiences for prospects were skills Jaylin Smith learned from her graduate experience at the University of Mississippi in Journalism and New Media. While receiving her Master’s degree, the scholar worked as a graduate assistant for the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. There, Smith started her career as a multimedia journalist and researcher, presenting her work at conferences for the Broadcast Education Association and the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Her love for diversity and passion for representation and visibility of Black culture allowed her to be chosen as a 2024 TEDx Speaker, giving a talk about the importance of respecting Black women’s hair. Smith’s strong foundation for journalistic excellence and community involvement began at her beloved HBCU, Mississippi Valley State University. Leading up to her role as the Delta reporter at the Mississippi Free Press, Smith worked as a car saleswoman at Cannon Chevrolet in her hometown of Greenwood, Miss.
Beat: Mississippi Delta reporter
This reporter will be based in the Mississippi Delta and contribute a mix of breaking news and longer-form, in-depth coverage of an often-misunderstood and disparaged region. This new beat will focus on the systemic causes and outcomes to the region's challenges as well as show the joy, the tenacity and the genius of Delta people in a mixture of multi-media, photograph and video, and narrative non-fiction pieces. The reporter will be involved in community connection through solutions circles and other on-the-ground events.