In the summer of 1960, Billy Barton, a journalism major at the University of Mississippi, worked as an intern at the Atlanta Journal. Barton, a reporter at the university newspaper, the Mississippian, was misidentified by a Citizens’ Council informant as a sit-in participant and a member of the NAACP. As a result, Barton faced a number of damning accusations through a “whisper campaign” perpetuated by Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett, the Sovereignty Commission, and the Citizens’ Council that ruined his reputation within what has been called the state’s “Closed Society.” In an effort to clear his name, Barton took his story to the press, igniting a firestorm of controversy concerning the treatment of the student journalist and challenging the pervasive nature of Mississippi’s white ideology. While Barton’s plight unified the majority of editors in the state, the Closed Society ultimately prevailed.

中文翻译：

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密西西比被遗忘的儿子：比利巴顿和他在“封闭社会”中的救赎新闻斗争

1960 年夏天，密西西比大学新闻专业的比利·巴顿 (Billy Barton) 在亚特兰大日报实习。巴顿是大学报纸《密西西比人》的记者，被公民委员会线人误认为是静坐参与者和全国有色人种协进会成员。结果，巴顿因密西西比州州长罗斯·巴内特、主权委员会和公民委员会的“窃窃私语运动”而面临一系列严厉指控，这破坏了他在该州“封闭社会”中的声誉。为了清除自己的名声，巴顿将他的故事公诸于众，引发了一场关于学生记者待遇的争议风暴，并挑战了密西西比州白人意识形态的普遍性。