Black History Month Spotlight: Pine Bluff Commercial Senior Reporter I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell (“mer-ELL”) began his fourth year as senior reporter and eighth year overall at The Commercial in January 2024. The Dollarway High School graduate is serving his second stint at his hometown newspaper, after working as sports editor from 2011-15.

Murrell is a 10-time winner of first-place awards in statewide and company-wide journalism contests. In 2023, he won first-place awards from the Arkansas Press Association for Best Picture Page/Photo Essay among smaller dailies and Best Coverage of Education among all dailies.

While Murrell covers a wide variety of topics at the Commercial, education has moved to the forefront of his topics of interest. His mother Diane was a longtime home economics teacher and administrator, and he honors her memory by keeping readers informed on the latest developments impacting public schools and higher-learning institutions in Jefferson County. 

That is not to say his background as a sports reporter is no longer of importance to him. He still hustles to sports venues and keeps readers connected to their local teams while documenting action with his camera.

Murrell has previously been honored with induction into the University of Arkansas at Monticello African American Alumni Elite hall of fame in 2021. His work has also earned him recognition from the Texas Association of School Boards and the Press Club of Southeast Texas, among other organizations. 

He has been a professional reporter since 2000 and a daily newspaper reporter since 2003. He holds membership in the Central Arkansas Association of Black Journalists.

He holds associate and baccalaureate degrees from UAM.

---

I.C. Murrell (“mer-ELL”)

Senior reporter

The Pine Bluff Commercial

Pine Bluff, Ark.

870-281-1592

Twitter: @ICMurrellPB