8 ways IndyStar reporting made an impact in 2022

For over a century, IndyStar has sought to serve the greater good of Central Indiana.

It's our job to hold people accountable, to shine a light on wrongdoing and to celebrate our neighbors' successes. We recognize the privilege and responsibility that come with our platform, and we hope to enhance community conversations and advocate for those whose voices may not otherwise be heard. We do this work because we care. This is our home, too, and we want to see Indianapolis and its residents thrive.

This year alone, IndyStar reporting has connected Hoosiers with their neighbors. It has identified problematic practices and spotlighted solutions to issues affecting their quality of life. It has influenced dialogues at the local and national levels on issues including gun safety and abortion access.

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Here are just a few examples of how our reporting made a difference in Central Indiana and beyond in 2022.

NBA agrees to pensions after IndyStar reporting

IndyStar has been covering the struggles of former American Basketball Association players for years as they fought for financial support from the NBA through the help of the Dropping Dimes Foundation. The depth and impact of our reporting was clear when the NBA finally voted to give players pension, a decision that will be life-changing for 115 former players and their families.

Read the reporting by sports reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow here.

IndyStar gets Pulitzer recognition after holding local officials accountable for red flag failures

Following an April 2021 mass shooting at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, IndyStar began examining Marion County's use of the state's red flag law, which victims and advocates argued could have prevented the shooter from obtaining firearms. Since IndyStar began reporting on issues with the state's use of the red flag law:

• More than 90% of Indianapolis police gun seizures have resulted in red flag court filings as of early 2022, as opposed to just 36% previously.

• Cases are being filed more quickly — in less than three days, on average, as opposed to an average of 27 days.

• Dozens of people have been found to be dangerous, meaning they are prohibited from accessing firearms and their names have been reported to the FBI's national background check system. Prior to IndyStar's reporting, not a single person had been reported to the background check system.

• Victims of the FedEx shooting filed a lawsuit against the city seeking over $2 million because of authorities' failure to pursue a red flag case against the gunman. Those victims cited IndyStar reporting in their claim.

Because of this reporting, IndyStar was named as a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting, our second Pulitzer recognition in as many years.

Read the reporting by IndyStar's Tony Cook, Johnny Magdaleno and Michelle Pemberton here.

Unsung Vietnam veteran recognized for heroic actions decades later

Indianapolis resident Fred Norris proudly served his country during the Vietnam War. At 17, Norris joined the service and was one of the first Marines in Vietnam. He would later save a downed helicopter pilot, running from his position through enemy fire, but his bravery was never recognized. We spent months verifying the facts surrounding Norris' incredible life. Shortly after the piece published, representatives from the city of Indianapolis, and the state of Indiana reached out to ask how they could help aid Norris in receiving the medals he deserves. Local organizations reached out to offer their services, such as building a free wheelchair ramp or offering rides to the local Veterans' Administration hospital.

Unfortunately, Norris died Aug. 24, before any medals could be awarded.

Read Norris' amazing story, told by IndyStar photojournalist Mykal McEldowney, here.

IndyStar's abortion coverage influences national conversation following overturning of Roe v. Wade

IndyStar's story about people crossing state lines to undergo abortions sparked a national discussion and influenced state legislation. The lead anecdote of the piece quoted by name a doctor who shared that she had provided an abortion to a 10-year-old girl from Ohio who had had come to Indiana for the procedure. The story sparked a furor on both sides of the abortion debate; anti-abortion activists as well as some media questioned its veracity while abortion-rights supporters — including President Joe Biden — used it as fodder to show the impact of tightening abortion restrictions.

Additional follow-up reporting in partnership with the Columbus Dispatch verified the girl's existence and identified the man who was charged with her rape. In Indiana, lawmakers passed a new abortion law in special session a few weeks later that gave more leeway to pregnant patients under 16. Before the story ran, there had been no discussion among legislators as to whether younger patients should have greater access to the procedure.

You can find much of IndyStar's coverage of post-Roe abortion legislation here.

IndyStar reporting sparks renewed conversations about gentrification and displacement

IndyStar in two stories covered the displacement of longtime residents from two gentrifying neighborhoods, Riverside and Fountain Square. In Riverside alone, a predominantly Black neighborhood, the median assessed value of homes has nearly doubled in the last six years, while the median household income sits at just $29,000. Across all of Marion County, home values have risen at just over half that rate over the same period of time. This reporting also sparked viral discussion online about the impact of development and a popular HGTV house-flipping show, "Good Bones."

Families being priced out of these neighborhoods are becoming isolated.

"They just get pushed farther and farther into the outskirts of the city, which in Indianapolis, where transportation is a nightmare, just disconnects people from the community," Nick Selm, director of the Flanner House's Flanner Farm, told IndyStar.

Read the reporting by city hall reporter Ko Lyn Cheang here.

Questions about former BMV chief's past prompt rescinded job offer

After the IndyStar learned of the sudden resignation of Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles commissioner, they dove into a quick-turn investigation that revealed the departure came one day after he showed up at a staff meeting appearing to be drunk. They also uncovered a long history of sexually inappropriate comments and outbursts of anger that created a toxic environment for employees, especially women. Hours after the story published, Virginia rescinded an offer to hire him to head that state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

Read the reporting by IndyStar's Tony Cook and Kaitlin Lange here.

Purdue's Back a Boiler program suspended after questions arise about legality

Following IndyStar's reporting on Back a Boiler, Purdue University’s income share agreement program, the controversial program was put on pause. IndyStar wrote that, in the agreements, students pledged a share of their future income for a set length of time. But, because of extraordinarily high interest rates and astronomical pre-payment penalties, many borrowers paid back over two and a half times what they originally borrowed. IndyStar spoke to multiple current and former students who said they felt misled by their university, showing the human impact of a financial program that is seemingly making it more affordable for students to go to school, but just doing the opposite. The program, championed by outgoing University President Mitch Daniels, came under fire for practices that an advocacy group alleged were illegal.

About a month after IndyStar’s first story was published, a message was posted quietly to the university’s website that said the program is unavailable for the 2022-23 school year. It's unclear what this means for the students that had already tied their salaries to these agreements. Purdue did not respond to a request for comment but has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

Read the reporting by higher education reporter Arika Herron here.

IndyStar awards $120,000 in grants to local youth-serving organizations

IndyStar readers and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust gave over $114,000 to support our annual Season for Sharing campaign, which harnesses the power of local journalism to change the lives of Central Indiana youth in need. Through their donations and a gift of our own, we were able to award $120,000 in grants to organizations serving vulnerable families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Projects supported by 2021 Season for Sharing grants included a social-emotional learning program, child care for parents of young children taking adult high school classes, direct aid to immigrant families and nutrition education.

Read more about this work and the programs we supported here.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How IndyStar reporting made an impact across Indianapolis in 2022