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Dear reader,

We have another big update for you: the Indiana Local News Initiative has hired Bro Krift as chief executive officer!

Meet our new CEO

Bro has a demonstrated track record of being in tune with how we can better serve communities with local news. He's joining the initiative from his role as executive editor at the Indianapolis Star, where he's established himself as a sharp and empathetic leader, building strong relationships in the journalism community and across the city. While he was at the Star, reporters were recognized for their examination of Indiana’s red flag laws after a mass shooting in Indianapolis, a series that was honored as a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and the staff’s tenacious coverage of changing abortion laws.

Prior to joining the Star, Bro led the Montgomery Advertiser, where the staff earned critical acclaim in 2018 for its unflinching examination of and apology for the role the newspaper played in proliferating white supremacy during the South’s lynching era. He also held the role of state editor, collaborating with 12 newsrooms across Alabama and Louisiana. He has been an editor or reporter in three newsrooms in Texas, including managing editor at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, and worked in Utah and Pennsylvania.

The team is excited to welcome Bro, and we hope you will be too.

Oseye Boyd

Indianapolis Editor in Chief

“Being a part of community and caring for it — that’s at the heart of local journalism. With the strong local coalition behind this initiative, we have an opportunity to work together to strengthen our local media and build a better future for our state, by telling more stories that solve our communities’ conflicts, rather than merely pointing them out.”

—Bro Krift,  CEO

Keep an eye out for more news

The team and I have been hard at work preparing for our launch, and we have some upcoming announcements you won't want to miss. If you haven't already, make sure you're subscribed for email updates and help us spread the word to others in Indy who are also passionate about our communities.

We're still hiring for key members of the newsroom, including an audience development director, a Documenters assignment editor, and various editing and reporting positions. These and additional jobs will continue to be posted at https://www.localnewsforindiana.org/jobs in coming months.

Join Indy Documenters

Indy Documenters is a community journalism program through which we're training and paying neighbors to help cover public meetings. We have 70 people signed up so far, and some have already begun taking assignments.

Our next orientation will be in November. Those interested can sign up now and find more information at https://www.localnewsforindiana.org/posts/indy-documenters. Bring some friends—the more the merrier!

You can reach out to documenters@localnewsforindiana.org with any questions or ideas.

How you can support

The Indiana Local News Initiative was created out of a statewide community listening program by the American Journalism Project, in which researchers heard from more than 1,000 Hoosiers who said they didn’t have enough trusted, unbiased, verified information about their communities. Our newsrooms are going to keep the conversation going, and build a newsroom that can be responsive to your input. Please continue to share your thoughts with us by taking this survey, and see other ways to support here.