The Poynter Institute, a prominent news media organization, has hired journalist and communications specialist Tracey Compton as the Indianapolis public editor.
A news release issued Wednesday morning said Compton’s position is a unique one. There are only a handful of public editors in the U.S., and most tend to work for a single news organization.
Compton will focus on news coverage across Indiana’s capital and largest city, not just from participating newsrooms. She is based in Indianapolis.
As the Indianapolis public editor, Compton will examine how Indianapolis newsrooms understand and provide coverage in line with the needs of local communities. Through a series of regular columns, she will answer questions from the audience and break down how local journalists throughout the market make decisions about their coverage.
Her work will appear on the project’s partner newsrooms, which currently include WFYI public radio, Mirror Indy and Indiana Capital Chronicle. All newsrooms are welcome as partners and interested outlets can reach out to the public editor to join.
The program is a pilot of the Poynter Institute, with funding from the Lumina Foundation and the Hearst Foundation.
Compton will work closely with Poynter’s senior vice president Kelly McBride, chair of Poynter’s Newmark Ethics Center. McBride herself has been the NPR public editor since 2020, writing regular columns that examine NPR’s journalism and help keep the network accountable to its audiences.
“Indianapolis is an exciting place for news and I’m eager to watch how a public editor enhances the great journalism in the market,” McBride said.
Compton’s first column will publish next week.
“I can think of no better time for this role than right now, when the need to understand our communities and neighbors through the stories the media tells is so important,” Compton said. “I see this work as community-building and trust-repairing.”
Most recently, Compton was the senior media and communications coordinator for the global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps. She previously worked as a reporter at Sound Publishing in the Pacific Northwest and at the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota.
During her career she has covered breaking news, K-12 and higher education, city government and the military. Her internships include The Seattle Times, KING-5 News, The Oakland Tribune and KUOW, the Seattle-based NPR affiliate.
She is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, where she earned degrees in journalism and political science.
While Compton will be building relationships with journalists and news organizations across the city, her priority will be listening to the needs of news consumers. The news release said for this job, the loyalty is t0 those who consume the news: the audience.
Compton and the local newsroom partners will host a meet-and-greet from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wed., March 11 in the Riley Room at the Indianapolis Central Library branch, located at 40 E. St. Clair St. The event is free. Please RSVP.
Indianapolis residents with questions or comments about local media can reach Compton at indypubliceditor@poynter.org.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
