The Indiana Publisher

Wallace is working at The Times of Northwest Indiana. "So far my internship has done more for me than I could have imagined," Wallace said. Wallace covered sports at the Indiana Daily Student at IU. He said his internship has broadened his skill set. He has covered a court session, a crime scene and learned how to better compile data. "It has made me much more experienced and confident in my ability as a journalist. I'm about halfway done and am too excited about what the second half will present," Wallace said. Erica Irish will be a sophomore at Franklin College in the fall where she majors in journalism and public relations with minors in Spanish and political science. She'll serve as opinion editor next semester at The Franklin. Through the Pulliam program, Irish is working at the Indianapolis Business Journal. Each student has a mentor at their respective publications. Irish's is IBJ Managing Editor Lesley Weidenbener, "The first day I was there she made sure the reporters were includ- ing me and we all went out to lunch," Irish said. In addition to the mentors, Tom French, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and IU professor of practice, is serving as a coach for this year's students. Irish said she wanted the challenge of working at IBJ where she could sharpen her skills in data- based journalism. "I've learned that there are a lot of hidden stories in the city," Irish said. "It blows my mind on how much there is to learn ... that's really rewarding." The 2018 Pulliam interns are: Emily Cox, Ball State University, Reporter-Times (Martinsville); Abrahm Hurt, Franklin College, The Paper of Montgomery County; Erica Irish, Franklin College, Indianapolis Business Journal; Emily Ketterer, Franklin College, Daily Journal (Franklin); Abby Land, University of Indianapolis, The Republic (Columbus); Maureen Langley, Ball State University, Herald-Times (Bloomington); Alaina Stellwagen, DePauw University, News Sun (Kendall- ville); Megan Thorne, University of Southern Indiana, Sullivan Daily Times; Dylan Wallace, Indiana University, The Times of Northwest Indiana; Mary Freda, Ball State University, Star Press (Muncie). origin probably helped. Indiana's two U.S. senators — Democrat Joe Donnelly and Republican Todd Young — introduced the legisla- tion. Still, such aisle-crossing doesn't guarantee success. Negotiation and compromise are seldom seen as virtues inside the Capitol these days. Plus, the idea of devoting a national day in honor of a newspaper columnist seems even more unlikely. Yet, it happened. That's where the sense of optimism comes in. Maybe a day that commemorates a newsman who told the stories of Average Joes — G.I. Joes, in Pyle's role — will refresh Americans' appreciation for journalism. I know, it's a long-shot, and some people probably stopped reading at the last sentence. Regardless, the chronicling of realities, whether harsh or wonder- ful, to enlighten readers was Pyle's duty 70 years ago, and that's the job reporters shoulder today. Part of the mission of the Pyle Legacy Foundation, which includes Pyle family members, is "to provide opportunities for an ongoing dialogue among working journal- ists, students and the public at large." The group formed in 2013, aiming to expose younger genera- tions to Pyle's work and help introduce his style to young people studying journalism at colleges around the country. The foundation teams with other organizations to spread understanding of Pyle's impact on the military members and their families and journalists. That includes the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana, Ind., his boyhood home; Indiana-based Friends of Ernie Pyle; Indiana University; veterans groups; the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (the NSNC); the Scripps Howard Foundation and others. The NSNC issues an annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award, and its 2018 recipient, syndicated columnist Connie Schultz, illustrates the timeless impact of Pyle's reporting from the trenches of World War II on later generations of journalists. Years ago, a reader sent Schultz a pair of books — a first-edition copy of Pyle's "Brave Men" and "The Story of Ernie Pyle," a biography by Lee G. Miller, according to a story on the NSNC website. The elderly reader told Schultz to continue "writing about the 'regular men and women who make up this great country.'" Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. She still has those books. "Ernie Pyle knew there is no such thing as an ordinary person," Schultz told the NSNC, "and it has been my privilege to illustrate that singular truth for nearly 40 years, one story at a time." Schultz has decades of journalis- tic experience, but like most other reporters, columnist and editors working today, she was born after Pyle died on April 18, 1945, while doing his job. A Japanese gunner's bullet ended Pyle's life instantly after he and a U.S. Army regiment commander ducked into a ditch during the Battle of Okinawa in Iejima, Japan. Pyle was buried there at age 44, with his helmet on. Soldiers, "regular men and women" back home in America and President Harry Truman mourned his death 73 years ago. Pyle's desire to tell regular people's stories still drives community journalism, carried out by determined people, who are imperfect, just like Ernie himself in places as large as New York and as small as New Albany. The Aug. 3 celebration activities in Bloomington will try to capture that spirit. Actor Ronald May will perform a one-man show as Pyle in Franklin Hall on the IU campus. The speakers will include Joe Galloway, a war correspondent who worked during the conflicts in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, Haiti and Iraq; Tuck Langland, sculptor of IU's Ernie Pyle statue; and actor Michael Brainard, creator of the play "War is Coming, Ernie Pyle." Maschino and the Legacy Foundation are still working on final details for August. Maschino said the goal, like a columnist once wrote, is simple: "Let's not forget Ernie Pyle." Why? "So that younger generations understand who he was," Maschino added, "and what he stood for." To read about the background and preparations for National Ernie Pyle Day on Aug. 3 at Bloomington, go online to the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation website at http:// erniepylefoundation.org/. Ernie Pyle Continued from Page 1 Ernie Pyle works in a field in Normandy, France, in July 1944. File photo. June 2018 Page 8 On June 5, Gov. Eric Holcolm signed a proclamation designating Aug. 3, 2018 as Ernie Pyle Day in the State of Indiana. Interns Continued from Page 1

• Cover