The Indiana Publisher

with facilitators, but you might be having a conversation with someone from across the state," said Claire Mausch- baugh, Indiana Humanities events and communications associate. Mauschbaugh said Indiana Humanities wants to re-create the experience of sitting down for a meal and a talk as much possible. They plan to send out a recipe that participants can make themselves for that evening, she said. "You'll be dining with Hoosiers and having a good conversation about the journal- ism in your community and their community," Mauschbaugh said. Every virtual table will also have a Tweeter who will share what's being discussed with other tables at the hashtag #chewonthis. The event costs $10 per ticket and Mauschbaugh said it will last about an hour and a half. Ten discussion Zoom rooms will have twenty participants and two facilitators each. Max Jones, editor of the Tribune-Star in Terre Haute will serve as one of the talk facilitators. "Anymore, this is one of my favorite and most frustrating topics," Jones said of the event's subject matter, why local news matters. "What we have learned in recent years is that local news continues to be undervalued in the communities they serve." Jones said he sees this as an opportunity to not only lead a discussion but to listen. "I'd like to know why some people continue to not place as high a value on it as perhaps they should and if there's something we can do to make it even more valuable or convince them that's it's worth paying for," he said. This will be an chance to explore the role local news plays in shaping communities and building an informed citizenry, Jones said. "Newspapers have histori- cally been so much a focus of attention for engagement, community togetherness and community identity." Chew on This is part of Indiana Humanities' INseparable project which explores how Hoosiers are connected and disconnected through urban and rural lines. The programming is made possible by funding from The Mellon Foundation through its Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative. Indiana Humanities is finalizing details and facilitators and plans to have the reservation site available the week of Aug. 24 at https://cotlocalreporting. eventbright.com. "We'll leave tickets open until the day of the event as long as tickets are available," Mausch- baugh said. "But we generally sell this out." "I'm anxious to see how this all works out," Jones said. "It's going to be a fascinating experience." Page 2 August 2020 Staff reports Washington Times Herald Lindsay Owens, news editor of the Washington Times Herald, has been promoted to editor of the newspaper. The appointment was announced by Amy Winter, regional publisher for CNHI, LLC, the paper's owner. Owens will have overall responsibility for the news and opinion content of both print and online versions of the Times Herald. "Lindsay brings solid journalism experience and a keen understanding of the community to the editor's position," said Winter. "She has earned the respect of the newspaper's staff and the readers of the paper." A native of Oaktown, Indiana, Owens joined the paper as a news reporter in April of 2013. She is a 2008 journalism graduate of Indiana University and a current board member of the Indiana Associated Press Media Editors. Her work has been recognized by the Hoosier State Press Association and Indiana Associated Press Media Editors. She is also a past chair and current board member of the United Way of Daviess County; junior membership chair for the Indiana State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and recording secretary for the Francis Vigo DAR in Vincennes. Growing up on her family's farm in Knox County, Owens remains active in agriculture affairs as a member of the county's Purdue Extension Board, and as a 4-H volunteer. Owens said her desire to become a journalist started in the 6th grade and continued when she convinced her parents, with the help of her 98-year-old great-grandmoth- er, to transfer to a high school with a school newspa- per so she could work for it. "Journalism is my pas- sion," she said. "I am excited to share that passion with our community." The Times Herald, she added, "is more than just an outlet for local news. It's a scrapbook that will tell the history of our community for years to come." Owens named editor of Times Herald Owens Event Continued from Page 1

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