Former Joplin Globe editor honored by national organization

(From the University of Southern Mississippi)

Dr. Edgar Simpson, director and professor in The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Media and Communication (SOMC), and Dr. Steve Coleman, assistant teaching professor in the SOMC, recently earned recognition for scholarship and service to their communities.

Dr. Simpson, who joined the SOMC as director in 2020, won the 2024 Michael S. Sweeney Award for his article, “Manipulating the Sphere: Mississippi’s Post-Brown Offensive Against White Journalists.” Presented by the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the Sweeney Award recognizes the outstanding article published in the previous volume of the scholarly journal Journalism History. 

Dr. Simpson receives a plaque and cash prize as part of the recognition, and will be formally honored during the History Division’s awards gala at this year’s AEJMC conference in Philadelphia.

Dr. Coleman earned the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters’ Special Achievement Award for his photography documentation, including images of community events sponsored by the Hattiesburg Arts Council, as well as others from the USM School of Media and Communication, USA Dance’s Hattiesburg Chapter and Saint Fabian Catholic Church. He began work with SOMC in 1995 and earned master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the School in 1998 and 2007, respectively.