The Indiana Publisher

Page 11 September 2020 ming) Budget, said. "We have written DeJoy twice, once to invite him to meet with us at our conven- tion and the other to ask what effect ESAS would have on service. We received responses to both. He is still considering our invitation to speak. He has not said no. We remain hopeful. On ESAS, we received a commitment from his management team that overnight delivered newspapers would not be affected by the changes. "The Congressional reactions have been partly driven by political concerns and partly from wide- spread complaints about service, including NNA's testimony before both House and Senate that delivery delays are being reported by our members across the country. In DeJoy's defense, the changes in the mail processing plants are ones NNA has monitored since March. We are participating in an execu- tive level task force on re-engineer- ing the flats mail delivery network and are working on some experi- ments to see if we can improve the mailflow. This is something that must be done because there is simply not enough mail to keep the operation running as it is. When the Postmaster General said the machines were being taken down before he arrived, we accept his statement as truth and can validate it. When he says COVID is causing delays, we certainly are seeing that. As to other changes, we are awaiting more data-driven conclusions so we can see exactly what is going on." NNA has been alerted that USPS plans to roll out a new restructuring plan in the fall. An outlook for much higher rates and more service changes is anticipated by the NNA Congressional Action Team and Postal Committee. Tonda Rush is the director of public policy and serves as general counsel to the National Newspaper Association. Email her at tonda@ nna.org. Postmaster Continued from Page 9 Indiana University. Pritchett served her 10-week internship at The Shelbyville News. Steinmetz spent his time at The Herald-Times (Bloom- ington) The HSPA Foundation selects nine journalism students to serve as summer interns every year. More than 100 university students have received the opportunity to experience how professional journalists work at Indiana newspapers. In addition to the hands-on experience, the two students had available the mentorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning Tom French, who is a journalism professor at Indiana University. The Eugene S. Pulliam Internship Program is named in honor of the late publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News. His family offered a challenge grant to support the creation of the HSPA Foundation and the internship program. right questions and how to contextu- alize records and numbers." "Lawrence's powerhouse story described how Tina Boone-Turner's grief over her son Brandon's murder can still make her fall to her hands and knees, praying to God," said IU professor Tom French, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who served as a mentor for the interns. French noted the wide range of stories delivered by all the interns during their busy summer. Franklin College's Haley Pritchett worked at The Shelbyville News where she wrote more than 50 stories from a dog rescue to a steeple blessing to a column on President Trump's low opinion of journalists. IU senior Phil Steinmetz spent his summer on the news desk at the Herald-Times (Bloomington) covering a variety of topics. One of his pieces focused on two best friends — a 73-year-old woman and a 28-year-old pony. "This story stuck out to me because I got to spend an afternoon with Mary Ann and Flash and it allowed me to see how much they really depend on each other," Steinmetz said. "It furthered my understanding on how different relationships work even if it's not between two people," he said. Plainfield native Leanne Stahulak attends Miami University in Ohio. "Profiles are my favorite kind of story because I really get to know and understand the people I'm talking to," said Stahulak who contributed writing and photography in her storytelling. Among her stories for the Lebanon Reporter was a profile of farmer Albert Lewis. "I became hooked almost as soon as I started talking to him, wanting to know more about his life and how he got to where he is today," she said. The pandemic provided a backdrop for many of the interns stories. IU's Joey Bowling wrote a feature for the Corydon Democrat about visitation tentatively resuming at an area nursing home. The IU senior expanded his skill set and also contributed photos during his internship. IU's Joe Schroeder also covered nursing home visitations along with a virtual 4-H fair and enforcement of a mask ordinance. Ball State's Jacob Musselman wrote a column during his internship at the News Sun (Kendalville) about covering protests in Fort Wayne that unfolded in the wake of George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis. "I will never forget May 30 and 31. I will never forget the smell of tear gas or how it made my eyes burn. I will never forget seeing the fear in people's eyes when police in full riot gear walk toward them," Musselman wrote. "I will never forget the people who acted as paramedics and helped the people who got hurt. I will never forget how I made it home safe." Scholarships Continued from Page 1 Interns Continued from Page 4 NNA has been alerted that USPS plans to roll out a new restructuring plan in the fall. An outlook for much higher rates and more ser- vice changes is anticipated by the NNA Con- Gerry Lanosga, a professor at Indiana University. In selecting questions, the IDC will attempt to reflect the range of attitudes and ideas that are out there, Lanosga said. Out of caution during the Covid-19 pandemic, the debates will not have a live audience. They will be broadcast from 7-8 p.m. EDT Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. from WFYI-TV in Indianapolis and will also be live-streamed on the commission's website and YouTube channel. Candidates and moderators will be on-site, barring any change in health recommendations. The IDC is the first indepen- dent debate commission of its kind in the country. It was founded in 2007 with the mission of, "Putting Voters First." "We look forward to giving citizens this platform to voice their concerns," said Commis- sion President Elizabeth Bennion. For news organizations, IDC will send out a media spec sheet a couple weeks in advance of the debates with information including how to imbed the feed on websites. Lanosga said the debates will offer voters a chance to see the candidates in an extended, non-advertising setting. "This commission is all about trying to have debates that reach as many people as possible," Lanosga said. Debates Continued from Page 1

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