By: CA Staff Writer | Feb 14, 2025
Clarksdale, MS – Meriwether McGettigan was fully aware that the Clarksdale Advocate was not interested in accepting paid advertisements or running articles related to her political views or candidates. One of her candidates learned this through an email from the editor of the Clarksdale Advocate. Despite this knowledge, McGettigan began sending repeated emails to one of our staff writers, asking him to share a politically motivated story that contained orchestrated false and misleading statements about a city leader. The writer, unaware of the communication involving McGettigan, did not realize that what appeared to be a positive community service story was actually staged and laced with false and misleading political information. The McGettigan post was so misleading that it prompted a city commissioner to reach out to a colleague, informing him that he had been inserted into the false narrative without his knowledge. Read this article here.
Yesterday, the Clarksdale Advocate made a post on its social media page asking the question, “Who is Meriwether McGettigan, and why is she financing African American candidates in predominantly African American wards in the Clarksdale municipal election?” This post does not accuse Ms. McGettigan of any unlawful activity, nor is the Clarksdale Advocate aware of any wrongdoing on her part. However, the idea that voters should remain unaware of who is donating to candidates is fundamentally flawed. Campaign finance laws require the disclosure of contributions for a reason: transparency. If candidates are accurately reporting their contributions, then those contributions are entirely lawful. To suggest that African American voters—or any voters—should not consider who funds a candidate’s campaign is simply illogical.
All campaign contributions are subject to public scrutiny, not just those of Meriwether McGettigan. Disagreement on this issue stems from a lack of understanding of campaign finance. Despite misinformed feedback from some readers, one cannot simply hand out money to candidates running for public office without scrutiny. The post says nothing disrespectful or distasteful about McGettigan, nor was it intended to. What is mind-boggling is that there are highly intelligent voters who seemingly do not care about who finances their public officials’ campaigns. To suggest that we should not be concerned with campaign finance demonstrates a serious need for voter education.
Ms. McGettigan brought this scrutiny on herself by knowingly and maliciously causing false and misleading information to be posted on the Clarksdale Advocate‘s social media pages. Her motives are rightfully subject to examination. Voters must understand the importance of reviewing campaign finance reports, not only for accuracy but also to assess whether candidates may be influenced by interests that do not align with their own. Each voter’s evaluation will differ based on their unique circumstances.
For example, if a voter supports public schools and a donor is contributing large sums of money to candidates who aim to dismantle public education, voters need to know this. To claim it doesn’t matter illustrates how people can end up voting for candidates who do not share their personal interests.
The 2024 presidential election has demonstrated that campaign funding can lead to significant consequences. For some voters, these consequences have been positive; for others, they have been devastating. Each voter has their own set of issues and values, and not every voter aligns in these areas. When you choose to ignore who is funding political campaigns, you relinquish your right to complain when your elected leaders fail to address your concerns. This conversation isn’t about whether Ms. McGettigan wants what’s best for Clarksdale. The question is whether what she believes is best aligns with the interests of individual voters and their families.
The assertion that the Clarksdale Advocate would write a story based solely on an individual’s support for a particular candidate is demonstrably false and unsupported by any evidence. In fact, there are countless people supporting various candidates whom we have not, and will not, write about. Ms. McGettigan’s actions have drawn attention to her own motives. It is crucial for voters to evaluate campaign contributions and ensure that disclosures are made. This scrutiny fosters transparency, empowers voters to make informed choices, and helps prevent public corruption. In America, there is no such thing as a private donation free from voter scrutiny. Let us not miseducate the public; instead, let us educate ourselves on this critical matter.
*To report a spelling or grammar error or inaccurate information, please email us at info@clarksdaleadvocate.com.
