PHIL BRYANT. GOVERNOR, May 1, 2017 Mr. Fred Anklam, Jr. Mr. Dennis Moore Mississippi Today, Editor Mississippi Today, Editor 750 Woodlands Parkway, Suite 100 750 Woodlands Parkway, Suite 100 Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157 Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157 Dear Mr. Anklam and Mr. Moore: On April 21", Mississippi Today posted an article by R. L. Nave titled The curious case of the Confederate cemetery. The article seeks to describe the legislative process concerning the 2016 bond bill as it pertains to a grant provided to Archives and History. Among other misrepresentations, it states “...the wording concerning the Confederate cemetery didn’t appear in any version of the bond bill until it reached Bryant's desk, questions emerged about whether the project's language could have been inserted by the governor's office.” The author knows, or should know based on his experience covering the Legislature, that a governor does not have the constitutional authority to insert language into a bill presented for signature and that such an act would be both dishonest and illegal. This language has led readers to believe that my office altered duly passed legislation prior to signing it into law — an allegation known by the author to be false. Even though the article later provides another explanation as to how the cemetery project became part of the bill, it does not adequately controvert the prior implication that “the project's language could have been inserted by the govemor's office.” Such a sequence of reporting raises the question: why bring readers to such a conclusion-one not supported by anything under the sun—that could harm public perception of a public official and his office? In summary, I am not certain if the content described above is libel per se or simply a malicious case of fake news, but every day that it remains in its current form will cause negative and Lnjustified opinions to be formed among your readers. Whatever the case may be, this language has misled readers about my official actions and my office's involvement with the 2016 bond bill. Therefore, in the interest of providing the best attainable version of the truth, please correct the inaccurate content described herein. Additionally, [ would appreciate the inclusion of an Editor's Note in the corrected article. Sincerely, Oyat— Phil Bryant GOVERNOR STATE OF MISSISSIPPI ¢ OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, POST OFFICE BOX 139 * JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39205 * TELEPHONE: (601) 359-3150 # FAX: (601) 359-3741 # www govemorbryant.com