I’m the new Indy Public Editor and here’s how I plan to do the job

No one’s ever done this job before

This column is part of the Indianapolis Public Editor project, a pilot program designed to test whether the presence of a public editor who analyzes local coverage can elevate audience trust in journalism and promote media literacy.

When I told my close friends in Washington state that I was moving back to Indiana, many did not understand. Why would I trade the mountains and ocean of the Pacific Northwest for the Rust Belt, Middle America, Flyover Country? In my friends’ eyes, I was heading to an unwelcoming, featureless, and highly segregated area of the country.

Indiana is misunderstood.