The "Main Street Mississippi Meets the Third World" project was designed to demonstrate that hometown newspapers can provide relevant news stories about developing countries without leaving the local community. Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the "American" were the selected site and newspaper. The project involved working with students in the University of Southern Mississippi's journalism classes; "American" reporters, photographers, and artists; and the "American's" managing editor. The result--a five-day, front-page series--included stories on exports, imports, migrants, students, and foreign aid. Pre- and postseries surveys assessed the readers' new expectations and reading behaviors, and the effects of the third world stories on readers' perceptions of Hattiesburg's interdependence with third world countries. Subjects in the pre-survey (n=229) and the post-survey (n=279) were randomly selected from the Hattiesburg 1984 telephone directory, but only subjects who said they read the "American" were questioned. Results indicate that the series significantly influenced readers' perceptions of Hattiesburg's economic interdependence with third world countries and Hattiesburg citizens' contributions to improved conditions in third world countries. (Survey forms are appended.) (DF)