Reporter Therese Apel Lectures to Mississippi College Communication Students

Therese Apel

An award-winning reporter at “The Clarion-Ledger,” Therese Apel often writes crime stories gaining national media attention.

The newspaper’s “breaking news” reporter, Apel will share her experiences in the profession with Mississippi College communication students March 6-7.

The University of Mississippi graduate will headline the MC Communication Department’s Purser Hewitt Lecture Series. The two daughters of the late “Clarion-Ledger” editor launched the program on the Clinton campus more than a decade ago.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to be part of a really important event at Mississippi College,” Apel said. “And it’s such an honor to follow in the footsteps of pillars of the industry in our state such as Jerry Mitchell and Ronnie Agnew. This distinction is a real highlight for me.”

Mitchell, an investigative reporter at the “CL” for decades, and Agnew, the newspaper’s former executive editor, spoke at the MC lecture series in recent years. Agnew serves as executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Other speakers included Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized “Clarion-Ledger” cartoonist and author, and University of Southern Mississippi Honors College Dean David Davies. Ole Miss journalism professor Charlie Mitchell, a former editor at the “Vicksburg Evening Post” and MC graduate Kyle Martin, a Wounded Warrior Project marketing specialist, also offered their insights to students.

Apel’s career in journalism began as a teen-ager in her native Mississippi. At age 15, she penned stories for the weekly “Copiah County Courier.” A few years later, Therese joined the newspaper staff of the “Daily Leader” in Brookhaven.

She’s been interviewed about crime stories as a guest on live TV broadcasts from CNN to Fox News and MSNBC.

At Mississippi College, Apel will address professor Tim Nicholas’s journalism students in the Aven Fine Arts Building Monday afternoon to begin her visit.

Among other stops, the “CL” reporter will serve as the guest speaker at a noon luncheon in Anderson Hall. The event always draws a nice mix of faculty, staff and students.

Besides her writing skills, Apel remains handy with her smart phone camera, and frequently videotapes news events.

She’s not just focused on crime scenes. Apel regularly covers the spring scholarship banquet at Mississippi College. The annual event attracted prominent speakers such as former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to the Clinton campus. Therese is expected to touch on media industry trends and offer career tips to students.

Well-respected in law enforcement circles, Apel is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and the Mississippi State Fire Academy’s Volunteer Firefighter 1 course. She’s written compelling pieces in the “Clarion-Ledger” on high-profile homicides across the Magnolia State. “It is a dream job to be able to cover all the breaking news and crime in the state.”

For more information on the MC lecture series, contact Tim Nicholas at 601-925-3462 or tnichola@mc.edu