Deep South Today hosts virtual town hall meeting on opioid settlement spending in the region

Deep South Today convened reporters from its three newsrooms — Mississippi Today, Verite News and The Current — for an online town hall meeting Dec. 4 to examine how hundreds of millions of opioid settlement dollars are being spent across the region.

The hour-long conversation, attended virtually by dozens of Deep South Today members, offered a behind-the-scenes look at how investigative journalists are tracking the opioid settlement spending and uncovering whether communities are benefiting from this once-in-a-generation influx of money.

The panel featured Katie Jane Fernelius of Verite News, Alena Maschke of The Current and Allen Siegler of Mississippi Today — all of whom have closely covered the settlement spending in their communities. The three journalists have shared notes and are