Student Journalists Bring Community Coffee To Wiggins
By Sundee Williams | WigginsMS.com | Community Spotlight
TL;DR: Student journalists with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at the University of Southern Mississippi held the center's final Community Coffee of 2026 on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Southern Turnings in Wiggins. The monthly events put student reporters face to face with the communities they cover, where they learn the part of journalism a classroom can't teach: building relationships. The center also runs a free fact-checking hotline at 855-IS-IT-TRU (855-474-8878).
Student journalists from the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at the University of Southern Mississippi spent Thursday afternoon at Southern Turnings in downtown Wiggins, talking with neighbors over free coffee.
It was the center’s last Community Coffee of the year, and the idea behind it is simple: put student reporters in the room with the people they cover.
I stopped by. There was free coffee, a Christmas tree already lit, and a room full of neighbors talking.
Learning The Job Where The Stories Are
The center hosts Community Coffee about once a month and takes about four months off each year while students are away from campus. Ame Posey, community engagement specialist for the center, said the events are meant to be casual.
“It’s just about a casual event to get into the community, to just talk to people, and kind of get a feel for what the community is like, what people are wanting to know about,” Posey said.
Posey said the conversations help students meet people who may become sources for future stories. The bigger goal, she said, is building relationships.
Caitlynn Brady, a reporter for the center’s Southeast Mississippi Planner, covers Stone County as part of her beat. She reached out to WigginsMS.com ahead of the event to make sure the community knew about it.
For a student reporter, those relationships are the job. Knowing who to call, what people are talking about and what they want to know is what makes local coverage possible.
The Host
Callie Leffler, the new owner of Southern Turnings, said the center contacted her about a month ago and asked if she would be willing to host. She said yes right away.
“It brings community, brings people together,” Leffler said. “Just being able to talk and socialize and share information and opinions.”
What Wiggins Gets
The center was created to strengthen local journalism in Southeast Mississippi, train student journalists and push back against misinformation. When student reporters spend time in a community, that community gets reporters who know it.
The community gets news they trust because it’s easier to trust the news when you’ve had coffee with the people writing it.
Something You Can Use
The center runs a free fact-checking hotline called “What Is True?” If you’ve heard something around town and you’re not sure whether it’s true, you can ask. Students will research it and get back to you.
- Toll-free: 855-IS-IT-TRU (855-474-8878)
- Office line: 601-266-TRUE (601-266-8783)
- Online: rhcjcnews.com/witreq/
About the center
The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center is based in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Southern Mississippi and opened in 2025. It is funded by a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation. Learn more at rhcjcnews.com.
Southern Turnings is at 145 E. Pine Ave. in Wiggins. Thank you, Callie, for opening your doors. Thank you, Ame, for bringing them to Wiggins.
Community Spotlight is a WigginsMS.com series.