Indiana governor Mike Pence’s administration has some news. Literally — they’ll be reporting the news soon on a new government-run and -funded service set to launch next month.
The new endeavor, which will be called “Just IN,” will “a state-run taxpayer-funded news outlet that will make pre-written news stories available to Indiana media,” according to the Indianapolis Star. The outlet will deliver breaking news, features, lighthearted items, and profile pieces on the Pence administration and the Hoosier State government written by press secretaries and overseen by a former Star reporter.
Part of the objective of Just IN is reportedly to provide more resources for smaller, budget-strapped local news organizations. The cost of the project, expected to launch late next month, is still unknown, according to documents obtained by the Star.
Pence, who served in Congress for twelve years before he was elected governor in 2012, has been floated as a potential Republican presidential candidate, but has faced questions over his governing record in Indiana, where he has backed the Common Core national education standards and accepted a form of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.
UPDATE: The Huffington Post reports Pence addressed concerns about Just IN in a phone call to one of his leading critics. Pence reportedly told Matthew Tully, a Star political columnist who sharply condemned the proposed service, that Just IN will serve as “just a clearinghouse” for press releases. The explanation to Tully comes after the governor tweeted that the website “will offer the same service with a new look,” referring to the state’s calendar for press releases.






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