By Socrates Garrett
Special to The Mississippi Link
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the publisher and staff of The Mississippi Link newspaper for 22 years of continuous publication.
It is no small feat to bring a product to the market place that is so deadline driven and to do it for one thousand one hundred forty four consecutive weeks -without fail. Neither rain, snow, hail or unwilling printers and writers could stop The Link from getting through.
You have been recognized as an award winning newspaper that has reached into the homes and offices of many Americans, bringing the news and achievements of those who are often overlooked.
You continue to chronicle the victories and the disasters that the community and state experience, and many people now depend on you for their weekly bread.
Your publisher, Jackie Hampton, has risen to the highest position in the field of journalism being elected to the national board for the NNPA (National Newspaper Publishers Association).
I have seen the publication and the staff grow and grow. It is no surprise when you see the publisher shaking hands with the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
Your humble beginning has kept you true to the mission: ‘Keepers of the Knowledge for those who speak The Truth.” The road, I am sure, has been difficult with some very anxious moments in your efforts to succeed in a market that is under constant stress to meet deadlines and generate revenue to pay staff and other expenses. It is an awesome accomplishment.
The jobs you provide for families and the training you do have propelled a many journalists into major media outlets. And if it were not for The Mississippi Link, the world would never have known many of these talents.
I say sincerely, “job well done!” And a job to be done well again.
Socrates Garrett is founder and former publisher of The Mississippi Link.
