INDIANOLA n This journalist's story isn't on his desk.
Despite that disaster area being the Enterprise-Tocsin's launching pad for 37 years, none of the hundreds of pieces of paper on it can tell of the battles and accomplishments editor and publisher Jim Abbott has steered the weekly newspaper through for nearly four decades.
When talking about the battles, Abbott told the American Journalism Review in 2005, “I guess I've been pushing the envelope since day one.”
To understand what Abbott n who is retiring early next year n means by “pushing,” you need to bypass his cluttered desk and look at his office wall.
Hanging on one wall is an old newspaper clipping that features a snapshot of a road sign that reads, ‘Road Work 1 Miel.' The misspelled sign was placed by the state highway department on an Indianola street during road construction, and when Abbott put a picture of the sign in the newspaper, it was accompanied with the headline: ‘Putting our problems out for all to see.'
There's the old picture of an on-duty police officer sleeping behind the wheel of his cruiser. When the picture made the front page, the officer was docked two-weeks' pay.
“I've always tried to let the community know what city officials are doing, what county officials are doing, and what law enforcement is doing,” Abbott said Thursday, before adding, “or what they're not doing.”
Abbott, 63, has seemed incapable of pulling punches, especially when it comes to elected officials.
“Sure, some people are going to celebrate Jim's leaving,” said Paula Sykes, Sunflower County's chancery clerk. “Jim is very strong-willed.”
Age hasn't mellowed the will of this lean, gray-haired but youthful 63-year-old.
Last week's Enterprise-Tocsin (circulation approximately 6,000) featured a front page picture of a garbage-strewn, clogged-up drainage ditch.
“I don't know why I didn't put (the supervisor's) name in there,” Abbott said about the man responsible for the ditch's upkeep. He spoke with as much humor as regret.
While he's faced his share of criticism, balanced coverage of tough stories have earned the respect of his community.
“He and I, to be honest, have disagreed on a number of issues over the years,” said Sykes, who was recently elected to her third term as chancery clerk. “But over time I've learned to appreciate what he does. He tries awful hard to not be bias and his stories are very thorough. Jim runs a first class newspaper, one that you would find in larger metropolitan cities.”
Abbott, who was born in Greenwood and graduated from the University of Mississippi twice (once in business, once in journalism), took over the Enterprise-Tocsin in 1970 after a nine-month stint in Vietnam. At the time, he was the youngest editor in the state.
One of the first changes he made was ridding the paper of front page yard-of-the-month coverage.
“The lead story would be the yard of the month,” Abbott said laughing. “And it would be brought in every month, and when the story ran, it would go with a six column headline right across the top.”
Asked how soon after becoming editor he began piloting the paper away from green thumb heroes, Abbott answered, “Immediately.”
He didn't talk about any backlash he received from that move, but he did touch on race issues that were still floating around Sunflower County in the early 70s.
Sunflower County was the birthplace of the White Citizens Council and when Abbott ran a picture of an all-black cheerleader squad, he found himself enduring the wrath of many older, white businessmen.
Abbott didn't want to be quoted directly on that subject, but again, his office's walls show how far Sunflower County has come since the early 70s.
There's a drawing of a black jet morphing into a white dove.
There are blues posters featuring B.B. King everywhere. And not far from one is a one-word bumper sticker tacked to the wall that says, ‘Eracism.'
Ray Mosby, who has edited Rolling Fork's weekly newspaper, the Deer Creek Pilot, for 14 years, understands the delicate situations any small town newspaper editor grapples with.
“I think you have to constantly balance the sensibilities of your community with the proprieties of your newspaper,” said Mosby, 56. “Everything is magnified in a smaller location. But there comes a time when you have to do what you know is the right thing. I have an enormous amount of respect for Jim professionally and personally.”
Mosby added, “Whoever walks in (to replace Abbott) is gonna have one hell of a job.”
Layne Bruce, Executive Director of the Mississippi Press Association, said that Abbott's presence will be missed in press circles.
“He is one of our absolute favorite newspaper people,” said Bruce, adding that Abbott has won “scores of awards” during his time as Indianola's editor.
“He is the consummate professional, fun to be around. We all wish him the best.”
Abbott hasn't had time to think much of what to do after retirement, but the word “travel” comes up quite often when he talks about it.
He described this time of his life as one filled with “regret and joy.”
“I've enjoyed being this county's communication device,” Abbott said Thursday sitting at his desk, surrounded by the walls that tell Indianola's story and his own. “There's a lot of interesting people here.”
