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Image by Scott Boyd, The Beacon, Macon, Miss
One woman has been working tirelessly to both cover the story and help to rebuild. Natalie Perkins is the editor and publisher — and lone staffer — for the Deer Creek Pilot, where she has worked for 28 years. She also serves as a board member for the Sharkey County Emergency Management Agency.
“Our community was just devastated by the storm on March 24. Nearly every retail establishment in town was destroyed,” Perkins told National Press Club President Eileen O’Reilly. “The outpouring of support from across the world has been tremendous. We are overwhelmed by it all.”
The Deer Creek Pilot’s office is still standing; it sustained roof and ceiling damage, Perkins said. And she and the community are persevering — but the newspaper needs help. It is the only newspaper located in Sharkey and Issaquena counties.
“Today, we are OK, thanks again to the support of businesses and advertisers outside the local community and fellow newspapers and staff across the state,” Perkins said. “With most of our advertisers gone, revenue — when the goodwill ads run out — will not be enough to sustain us.
The Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation has established a Go Fund Me campaign with a goal of $15,000 to assist Deer Creek Publishing, publisher of the Deer Creek Pilot in Rolling Fork, to continue operations in the coming months.
"The reason we are aware of the devastation that happened in Rolling Fork and many other communities from the tornadoes is due to journalists on the ground, snapping photos, shooting videos, and telling the stories behind them,” said the NPC’s O’Reilly. “We encourage our Club members and Institute patrons to donate to help mitigate the current crisis at Deer Creek Pilot, while continuing to foster discussions and experiments on how local journalism can become sustainable across the nation.”
The fund will be used to cover essential operating costs such as printing fees and delivery expenses, said MPAEF Chairman Jack Ryan, publisher of the Enterprise-Journal in McComb. Ryan has praised the Pilot’s reputation for news coverage in a community that has struggled with poverty and population loss.
"Natalie's experience is one faced by way too many local journalism outlets imperiled by dwindling advertisement revenue. As journalism is a key part of our democratic institutions, we must urgently take steps to preserve and encourage its growth,” O’Reilly said.
Perkins remains positive her community will get through the immediate devastation.
“We are a resilient community full of strong people, and we will survive,” Perkins said.
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