Mirror Indy is joining an effort to help Indianapolis residents better understand the news and hold local journalists accountable.
Poynter, a national nonprofit focused on fact-checking and media literacy, will hire an Indianapolis public editor who will answer questions from residents about news and write columns about decisions local news outlets make.
The public editor will examine Indianapolis news stories and analyze journalists’ decisions. They’ll write columns that will be published on Mirror Indy, WFYI and Indiana Capital Chronicle’s websites, though more newsrooms may join as partners down the line.
Kelly McBride, who currently serves in a similar role for NPR, will run the program. As NPR’s public editor, McBride serves as “the public’s representative to NPR” and regularly writes about the decisions that the organization makes — and how they could improve.
“The goal of a local public editor is to help the people who live in Indianapolis understand their news ecosystem better,” McBride said in a news release from Poynter, “and ultimately enable people to hold their local journalists accountable for what they need from them, and also when appropriate to elevate great journalism.”
The Indianapolis public editor will aim to increase transparency and help Indianapolis residents understand why news organizations make the decisions they do.
“This not only provides an opportunity to increase media literacy in our city, but also allows community members to hold us accountable in how we cover them,” Oseye Boyd, editor in chief of Mirror Indy, said.
The partnership is a pilot program, as most public editors in the U.S. tend to work for a single news organization. In addition to examining and writing about Indy news coverage, the editor will team up with news organizations to host community events.
McBride said Poynter hopes to hire the public editor before the end of 2025. If you have a journalism background and are interested in applying, you can do so at this link.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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