IndyStar newsroom to grow with new positions, summer interns

Google the term “building the boat while sailing it” and you’ll inevitably come upon a number of articles on change management and leading in times of crisis.

The phrase is probably my most frequently uttered idiom of the past two decades, as it reflects my ever-changing experience as a journalist over the past 22 years.

Case in point: In my first 15 months here at IndyStar, we’ve hired 17 full-time journalists, seen eight colleagues leave for other opportunities, and helped 11 interns — with another eight about to join us this summer — grow through their early careers, all while significantly adjusting our deadlines and workflows amid the ongoing consolidation of U.S. newspaper printing facilities.

That may seem like a lot of turnover, but IndyStar is fortunate to have more than 25 journalists who have served Central Indiana with trustworthy local news for more than five years each.

Veteran photojournalists Kelly Wilkinson and Michelle Pemberton, reporters Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Scott Horner and John Tuohy, multimedia manager Clark Wade, administrative manager Kim Mitchell, investigative editor Tim Evans, sports editor Nat Newell and local news editor Shari Rudavsky have each been at IndyStar for more than 20 years.

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That level of deep local knowledge and connection to Central Indiana has allowed our newsroom to take a teaching hospital approach as our newer hires — myself included — learn while working alongside these mainstays of the Indianapolis journalism scene.

That’s also how you build the boat while sailing it — not by the effort of one person, but through the combined efforts of a dedicated crew. Today, I’m pleased to share news of a few upcoming additions to IndyStar’s newsroom.

IndyStar to welcome two grant-funded journalists in May

Our newsroom of more than 60 full-time journalists is about to expand thanks to the generous support of funders who share our interest in strengthening local journalism in Central Indiana and beyond.

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has supported IndyStar’s environmental journalism since 2022. Through the trust’s support, reporting from Karl Schneider and former IndyStar environmental reporter Sarah Bowman has been published free to all readers.

Early this month, Sophia Hartley will join the team, filling the position Bowman vacated last year. Hartley graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master of Science in Science Writing. We’re excited for Sophia to join the team and share stories of the many ways Hoosiers interact with and impact our natural resources and environment.

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Later this month we’ll also welcome a new First Amendment reporter, as part of an effort that will bring new reporting to five USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Our new reporter will share stories of the increasingly frequent tensions involving the five freedoms of the First Amendment.

For review, the First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

These positions are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Freedom Forum’s Local Press Initiative and Journalism Funding Partners, a nonprofit that works to increase the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism.

Grant funding to support summer internships at IndyStar

We also have the Central Indiana Community Foundation and Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting to thank for their support of IndyStar’s robust summer internship program.

Grant funding from the two nonprofits will place seven student journalists and recent college graduates into summer internships starting in May and June. Our 2025 Pulliam Fellows funded through CICF are: Marissa Meador, Indiana University; Sam Habashy, Northwestern University; Matthew Cupelli, University of Florida; HG Biggs, Ohio University, Joshua Heron, Arizona State University, and Dow Jones News Fund intern Ethan Hylton, Goldsmiths University of London.

Juliann Ventura, Northwestern University, will be our Ida B. Wells Society investigative fellow. We’ll also bring on a video intern through our Gannett Forward Summer Internship Program.

We’re recruiting for a pop culture reporter, with more to come

Finally, we’re in active recruitment for a pop culture to join our staff and report on Central Indiana’s many cultural offerings, from concerts and festivals to Hoosiers on TV and much more.

We’ll have more recruiting news in the future, as getting to “fully staffed” is always a work in progress. Thanks for letting me share a few updates here, and thanks for reading IndyStar.

Eric Larsen is IndyStar executive editor. Reach him at ericlarsen@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar newsroom to grow with new positions, summer interns