The Indiana Publisher

Ruth Witmer Hoosier State Press Association Justin Kiel was out on a jog Aug. 8 when a friend called with a news tip. Black Lives Matter protesters were marching through the area — not something he had seen in the small towns in his Indiana paper's coverage area. What he initially thought would be a simple story ended up taking Kiel on a journey into the wee hours of the morning, walking for miles along a highway and fielding angry Facebook comments from readers. The Regional News and Westville Indicator owner and publisher caught up with the marchers at the Dollar General store in Wanatah where they had stopped. He interviewed the organizer Frank Nitty and found out the group of now about 30 marchers, ages 4-62, began their journey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They were walking about 30 miles per day to Washington D.C. with the goal of arriving for the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Kiel finished up, returned home for dinner and got another call from the same friend who was watching the group's social media livestream and told him things had taken a turn. The livestream showed an encounter with a sheriff's deputy who wanted an escort vehicle to pull over slamming his fist on the hood of the car. The Regional News posted information on Facebook about the march and the Publisher The Indiana Volume 85, Issue 8 • August 2020 Published on second Thursday monthly • Revised Publication Days? • Staffing Changes? • New Advertising Rates? • New Billing address? Attention Publishers, Editors: Keep HSPA in the loop with what is changing at your newspaper. Email info to sgoldsby@hspa.com. The Indiana General Assembly won't convene until January 2021, but the Hoosier State Press Association is already laying the groundwork for what could be a very busy session, according to Steve Key, executive director and general counsel. In light of the George Floyd death and nationwide protests calling for racial justice, there will be bills filed to address how law enforcement agencies operate. HSPA sees this as an opportunity to make the disciplinary process for police officers more transparent, Key said. Several editors across the state are reviewing ideas at the request of HSPA's Key. The suggestions will be made available to legislative leaders in both the Indiana Senate and House of Representatives. The topics include merit boards, personnel files, police video access from body cameras, cruiser cams and drones. It's too early in the process to know whether any of HSPA's ideas may be picked up in legislation to be filed. On another front, Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, HSPA gearing up for busy 2021 legislative session General Assembly Preview See Session, page 11 See Event, page 2 Virtual event to address why local reporting matters Newspaper's BLM coverage sparks reader criticism Ruth Witmer Hoosier State Press Association Next month, participants from across the state will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual discussion, "Why Does Local Journalism Matter?" The Zoom event is presented by Indiana Humani- ties in partnership with HSPA. This discussion is part of Indiana Humanities Chew on This series. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Chew on This talks would take place in restaurants where partici- pants would gather for dinner and a discussion on a particular topic moderated by facilitators. Out of concern for gathering during a pandemic, these talks have moved to a Zoom format and participants will be having dinner in their own homes. "Given this virtual format, we're going to be still at quote-unquote tables Indiana Humanities to present Sept. 22 discussions See Coverage, page 10

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