L.A. Weekly, a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies alongside the JFP, has won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism for Jonathan Gold's food writing. Here's to alts!

(Meantime, of course, the Mississippi Press Association will not allow the JFP to become a member and compete with awards against other daily and weekly newspaper around the state. Sigh.)

Also of interest to Mississippians, the Pulitzer board announced that "The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation" by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff (Alfred A. Knopf) has won the Pulitzer Prize in the history category.

Sorry, just saw this. Why will the MPA not let JFP join? Is there a way to petition the national body?

I don't think there is a national body to petition. MPA won't let us be members because we are distributed for free. Now, that is mighty ironic, of course, because their members are putting out free publications to compete with us (Clarion-Ledger and Northside Sun). It is also ironic considering that Gannett is moving its emphasis to the Web, where we are completely equal.

The real truth is probably that Clarion-Ledger editors do not want to be around us, and are saying not to let us in. (The Mississippi High School Press Association wouldn't let the JFP attend a day for Jackson high school journalists because, they said, The Clarion-Ledger was hosting it andd wouldn't want us there.) I also suspect they don't want to compete against us for awards.

My guess is that one would petition MPA its self, or write them letters, if you think they should let us in.

That bites. Just another way for folks to keep the "in" folks "in" and the "out" folks "out". Truly a good mark for conservatism. *eyes*