Mississippi Today is pleased to announce that journalist Julia James has joined the newsroom as a poverty and breaking news reporter.

James, a native of Mandeville, Louisiana, recently completed an investigative reporting internship with Mississippi Today. In that role, she closely covered the sprawling welfare scandal and public education. She will continue that work, as well as working closely with Mississippi Today’s breaking news team.

James is a 2021 graduate of the University of Mississippi, where she studied journalism and public policy and was in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She has been published in The New York Times, Mississippi Today, and Clarion Ledger.

“When I moved to attend college, I was searching for a Mississippi newspaper that I could depend on. I quickly got the sense from people I trusted, they trusted Mississippi Today,” James said. “Being able to join the newsroom as an intern and learn from the reporters I admired has been such an invaluable experience, one that I’m excited to continue as a full-time reporter.”

James interned with the Mississippi Center for Justice in 2020 and the Prison-to-College Pipeline Program (PTCPP) from 2018-2019. While working with the PTCPP, she interviewed more than 30 students about their experiences in the program and created a website and newsletter for the student’s writing projects.

“From the second she stepped in our newsroom, Julia made it clear to all of us that she was eager and able to dive into some of the state’s most pressing problems and hold public officials accountable for them,” said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today’s Editor-in-Chief. “In Mississippi, the poorest state in America, diving into policies around poverty, in particular, couldn’t be more critical. Julia is just the right person to serve Mississippians in this way.”

James will continue working closely with Mississippi Today investigative reporter Anna Wolfe.

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