• by Ray Schultz , February 21, 2024

The Indianapolis Star will receive investments from its parent Gannett that will enable it to grow its content and sales operations, the Star reports.  

The multimillion-dollar effort will support both the newsroom and LocaliQ, the company’s Indianapolis sales and advertising team.

“This is a generational investment into IndyStar and the community,” says Eric Larsen, the Star’s executive editor.

On the edit side, the spending will support coverage of areas like government accountability along with community centered journalism. 

The Star reports that this is the only site in the USA Today Network to receive such an investment. 

“I wanted to find a newsroom that was already punching above its weight class,” says Kristin Roberts, chief content officer for Gannett. 

Roberts adds, “I’ve got maximum ambition for local journalism … and I want this newsroom to achieve that ambition. If we get this right, we will be the model for saving local journalism in all of America.”

Cynics might point out that Gannett has been accused by employees of gutting its newsrooms. But the company is investing to strengthen “the bedrock that makes us the newspaper of record,” Larsen says.