The Indiana Publisher

Sam Mauer The Echo (Taylor University) Russell B. Pulliam, Indianapolis Star associate editor/ columnist, has recently donated $120,000 for journalism scholar- ships at Taylor University. This gift will be used for stu- dent scholarships over the next two academic years, 2022-23 and 2023-24. Pulliam has previously provided journalism scholarship funding a year at a time since the 2018-19 school year. Alan Blanchard, executive director of the Taylor University Pulliam Journalism Center, expressed his gratitude to God for the generous donation. "Russ Pulliam has been a friend/mentor since the mid- 1990s when I was a daily news- paper editor in Michigan and he was Indianapolis News editor," Blanchard said, also Taylor University associate professor of journalism and faculty advis- er to The Echo. "Later, in 2000, when I began teaching journal- ism at a Christian university in Michigan, Russ supported the journalism students there with scholarships. He then started funding journalism scholar- ships at Taylor University after I arrived to oversee the program here five years ago." It was also in 2019 that Pulliam granted permission for cre- ation of the Pulliam Journalism Center, Blanchard said. The center recognizes sev- eral generations of Pulliams, including I.B. Pulliam, an 1800s-era cir- cuit riding Methodist minister, and four subsequent generations engaged in the newspaper busi- ness to this day. Taylor University admin- istration has also expressed gratitude for the donation"I was elated when I heard the news of this gift for our journalism students and to under- stand Russ Pulliam's heart behind the gift," Provost Jewerl Maxwell said. "One of the most exciting things about this gift for me is to think about the incredible impact it will have for years to come. When these students graduate and embark on a career in jour- nalism, their work will impact thousands and thousands of indi- viduals." "Russ Pulliam is a legend in journalism and is making Indiana a better place," said President Michael Lindsay. "We are deeply honored by his generosity and investment in our journalism program." In addition to his role at the Indianapolis Star, Pulliam is a World Magazine board member and speaks regularly at Taylor University journalism classes. "My prayer has been for journalists to grow in the Lord and bring from the Scriptures wisdom, understanding and pru- dence, to be woven into stories about current events," Pulliam said. "Or to bring the Bible to bear on news coverage and com- mentary. We support Taylor jour- nalism scholarships with prayer that they will become the next generation of Abraham Kuypers, Hannah Mores, Cal Thomases, Hugh Redwoods, McCandlish Phillipses. They don't need to be famous, though, just faithful to Christ, asking Him to establish the work of their hands in news coverage." This story was originally published in Taylor University's student newspaper – www. theechonews.com. Page 7 May 2022 Pulliam Russell Pulliam donates $120,000 to Taylor University for journalism student scholarships through 2024 Taylor University is a private, Christian school in Upland, Indiana. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the country. who participated in at least one of the stories we submitted as part of the package. It was real- ly a newsroom-wide effort." The investigation, Red Flagged, found even as gun vio- lence climbed to record-breaking numbers, police and prosecu- tors failed to file in court more than 100 red flag cases that they should have. At least 14 people were killed and eight injured in shootings that may have been prevented if not for gaps in the law and authorities' reluctance to use its full power, the investigation found. The investigation uncov- ered how failures in executing Indiana's red flag law played a critical role in allowing the worst shooting in Indianapolis history, in which eight people were killed at a FedEx center on the city's southwest side in April 2021. Red Flagged was announced as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize on May 9. "Prizes are great, but we do this reporting in order to inform the people who are our neighbors in order to bring about positive change in the city where we live," Cook said. "Being rec- ognized for local reporting is fantastic." In the year since the FedEx shooting, Marion County officials have made significant changes to the red flag process. Police are now required to submit red flag cases directly to the court anytime they seize a gun under the law, effectively bypassing the prosecutor's office. "This staff, and in particu- lar Johnny, Tony and Michelle, didn't move on from the tragedy of the FedEx shooting," said Bro Krift, executive editor of IndyStar. "They saw the conflict at hand and the issues with the red flag law and started asking questions of why and how this happened. They found those answers and held people account- able." Last year, IndyStar's inves- tigation into police dog bites won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting. The paper won its first Pulitzer in 1975 for a series on corruption in the Indianapolis Police Department. In 1991, IndyStar won again — this time for a 1990 investigation on medical malpractice. Pulitzer Continued from Page 1

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