Anna Wolfe

Anna Wolfe is an American investigative journalist known for her work covering corruption in Mississippi's restitution centers and the welfare funds scandal. In 2023, Wolfe won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

Anna Wolfe is an American investigative journalist known for her work covering corruption in Mississippi's restitution centers and the welfare funds scandal. In 2023, Wolfe won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

Journalism positions

Jackson Free Press – Investigative reporter (2014) Center for Public Integrity – Investigative reporter (April 2015 – November 2015) Clarion Ledger – Watchdog reporter (August 2015 – August 2018) Mississippi Today – Investigative reporter (September 2018 to present [2024])

Defamation lawsuit

In May 2023, former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant gave notice of his intent to sue Deep South Today, doing business as Mississippi Today, and its chief executive officer Margaret White for defamation relative to comments she made at a Knight Foundation conference promoting Anna Wolfe's award-winning Backchannel series. White's comments implied that the former governor misused $77 million in welfare funds and accused him of funneling millions of those welfare dollars to family and friends, even though Bryant had not been charged with any crime. Shortly after Bryant had given notice of his intent to sue, CEO White issued a public apology stating that she misspoke at a recent media conference, that her remarks were not appropriate, and that the former governor had not been charged with any crime. Nevertheless, Bryant proceeded with his civil action (Case: 45CI1:23-cv-00238-JM, Document # 9–2) which was filed in the circuit court of Madison County, Mississippi on July 26, 2023. In the filing, Bryant requested all documents and communications that Anna Wolfe had access to during the writing of her series on the Mississippi welfare scandal. In July 2024, Mississippi Today requested that the Mississippi Supreme Court reverse a court order requiring the news outlet to turn over Wolfe's welfare scandal documents and the names of her confidential sources to a judge, who would determine if the evidence had relevance to Bryant's defamation case. On December 6, 2024, the Mississippi Supreme Court rejected Mississippi Today's appeal in a 6–2 majority opinion. Mississippi has not enacted shield laws that protect a reporter's privilege. On April 4, 2025, a circuit court judge in Madison County, Mississippi dismissed Bryant's defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today stating that Bryant "...had failed to plead any legally viable claims". Bryant appealed that decision to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which came under review in February 2026. In April 2026, the Mississippi Supreme Court revived Phil Bryant's defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today and ruled that the lawsuit could proceed to trial.

Footnotes

References

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1366361794 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.