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Pence Administration Responds to JustIN Criticism

State of Indiana

Pence administration officials say they’ll work with press organizations to carefully evaluate the  proposed state news service before it’s unveiled to the public. 

Pence communications director Christy Denault says the original intent of the Just IN news service was  to serve as a clearinghouse, a “one-stop shop,” for press releases from all state agencies. She says the  current system, a state news calendar, didn’t display releases from nearly half of the state’s 90 agencies.  

But she says the administration regrets some of the terminology used in internal communications about  development of the site – they used words such as “story” instead of “press release” for example and  referenced the head of the project as a “managing editor” instead of a “content manager.”

Denault says, in part as a response to recent outcry, she plans to consult with the Hoosier State Press Association  and the Society of Professional Journalists before anything is finalized.

“I would really like to see us present a good front end to the world and serve the media better in the  process," says Denault. "If we don’t think we can accomplish that then I don’t have any qualms about saying ‘We won’t  do it.’” 

Denault says the site is still in development; the administration hopes to roll it out within the next  couple of months. 

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
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