Southern Exposure was an award-winning print journal published by the Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, from 1973 until 2011. Southern Exposure earned a national reputation for its writing on a broad range of political and cultural issues in the South, with a special emphasis on investigative journalism and oral history.

On the 50th anniversary of Southern Exposure’s birth, Facing South and the Institute will be publishing a full digital archive of the journal over the course of the year. The initial installment of the archives available in March 2023 includes issues from the magazine’s launch in 1973 through 1981.

Vol. 13 No. 1 - January/February 1985

Magazine cover with white text reading "North Carolina's bitterly contested 1984 US Senate race between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt will easily go down in history as one of the meanest, ugliest, and most divisive campaigns ever. North Carolinians could not read a newspaper, watch TV, or open their mail without being bombarded by political rhetoric, mudslinging, and pleas for money."

The Jesse Helms Machine

  • A Letter from Us to You

    2
  • Readers Corner

    3
  • Southern News Roundup

    4
  • Facing South

    10
  • Voices of Our Neighbors

    11
  • Resources

    13
  • Jesse Helms: The Meaning of His Money

    14
  • Campaign Finance Project: Who's Playing Right Field

    15
  • Campaign Finance Project: Researching the Contributors

    24
  • Ecotheater

    26
  • The Hinton Play

    32
  • The Year of Jubilee

    36
  • $$ for Change

    42
  • Fairfield United Action

    45
  • GANE

    51
  • FBI's COINTELPRO Revisited

    53
  • Reviews

    58
  • Bulletin Board of the South

    63
  • Voices from the Past

    64
Full PDF