JACKSON — The state newspaper media association is calling on the Mississippi State Department of Health to release information sought in a lawsuit filed against it by the Pine Belt News in Hattiesburg.
The newspaper filed suit May 12 after MSDH failed to comply with an earlier public records request to learn the names of Forrest County long-term care facilities where 12 patients died from covid-19 complications.
"In the best of times, Mississippi citizens are entitled to adequate disclosure of information from the State Department of Health and other agencies that is in the interest of public welfare," said Mississippi Press Association President Kevin Cooper, senior vice president of Boone Newspapers Inc. "And certainly in these times of a great public health crisis, MSDH should do more to release information the public deserves to know about where and how this disease has spread.
"We call on MSDH to release the information sought in this lawsuit and to commit to better transparency as we all seek a safe path to recovery."
Founded in 1866 and marking its 154th year, MPA is the trade group representing Mississippi newspaper media and journalists.
