Telling Complex Stories about Opioid Settlement Spending

Yesterday we hosted a fireside chat about Mississippi Today's coverage of opioid settlement spending in the state. Part of our series of resources helping journalists cover the opioid lawsuit settlement funds, the recording is now live on YouTube.

In this 30-minute webinar, reporter Allen Siegler and managing editor Kate Royals shared their process for reporting on opioid settlement spending in a state with some of the most pressing health problems in the country. They discussed how they worked together - as reporter and editor - to frame the stories, the challenges of simplifying complex public health and financial information, and how to pitch accountability stories that get greenlit.

Allen Siegler is Mississippi Today’s mental health reporter. Before joining the outlet, he reported on public health for the nonprofit newsrooms Mountain State Spotlight, an investigative outlet in West Virginia, and Healthbeat, a startup with bureaus in Atlanta and New York City. Originally from San Diego, Allen studied applied epidemiology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, graduating with a Master of Public Health degree in 2022. 

Kate Royals became Mississippi Today’s managing editor in June 2025. She previously served as the newsroom’s community health editor. Under her leadership, the health team won the 2023 Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Reporting for its series “Shaky Science, Fractured Families,” for which she co-reported. She served as the local editor on “Committed to Jail,” a series produced in partnership with ProPublica that was a semifinalist for the Goldsmith Prize in 2024.

If you're interested in more discussion of this topic, check out more resources on our opioid settlement fund playlist.