PMJA Regional Professional Development Series
Indianapolis
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 · The Athenaeum
Move the Needle
The Work That Keeps Newsrooms Running
Presented in partnership with WFYI
This event has wrapped. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Indianapolis — session resources are below.
About This Event
The problems aren’t mysterious. And you already have more power to address them than you think.
Every newsroom has a list. The workflow that never quite works. The culture issue nobody wants to name out loud. The process that made sense three years ago and doesn’t anymore.
Near + Now Indianapolis brings journalists, producers, editors, news leaders, and every role in between into one room to work on the operational and cultural challenges that shape everyone’s day. You’ll spend the day building practical skills in change design, workflow problem-solving, and the kinds of conversations that actually move things forward.
Action planning is built into the afternoon. You leave with a specific commitment and a peer partner to keep you honest.
The Day
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Registration and coffee at 9:00 AM · Program runs 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
All times Eastern (ET)
9:00–10:00 AM · Registration & Coffee
During Registration & Coffee
9:00–10:00 AM 
NPR Office Hour
Krishnadev Calamur, Executive Editor and Vice President of News · Bruce Auster, Managing Editor, Collaborative Journalism · Andrea de Leon, Chief Editor, Network Desk
Drop by during registration and coffee for a meet and greet with key NPR newsroom leaders involved in collaborating with public media organizations across the country. It’s a chance for them to hear from station representatives about how collaboration is working, where it could be better, and to answer any questions.
01
10:00–10:30 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Brief welcomes from our hosts and sponsors, followed by a local newsroom that recently navigated a season of uncertainty and came out stronger.
02
10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Building Adaptive Capacity in a Time of Polycrisis
Practical Tools for Navigating Uncertainty
A. Rima Dael
Evolving technologies. Political polarization. Declining trust. Staff burnout. Economic uncertainty. Each challenge would be significant on its own. Together, they create what scholars call a polycrisis: multiple crises that overlap and reinforce one another. This session explores how to build organizations that can stay grounded in mission through all of it — and how psychological safety, productive conflict, and knowing your spheres of influence make the difference.
12:00–1:00 PM · Lunch provided
03
1:00–2:15 PM
Small Tweaks, Big Peaks: Testing Workflow Changes to Reclaim Your Energy
Jan Ross P. Sakian
Every newsroom has processes that quietly drain time, energy, and coverage quality. This workshop gives you a practical framework for addressing those pain points and testing small, targeted changes without waiting for a full organizational overhaul. You’ll leave with tactics to share and at least one action to bring back to your newsroom.
04
2:30–3:45 PM
It’s Breakfast Time: How to Better Strategize a Healthy Newsroom Culture
Erica Peterson
You’ve probably heard the old maxim “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That may be true, but culture isn’t just something that happens. It’s something we can plan for and actively shape. This session helps you design an action plan with concrete steps anyone in a newsroom can take to build a healthier culture, whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to reset.
05
4:00–4:45 PM
Action Planning: What Comes Next?
It’s easy to let a day of learning stay in your notebook once you’re back under deadline pressure. That’s why we build structured time into the schedule for working out what you’re taking away and how you’ll act on it. You’ll leave with a specific next step and an Accountability Buddy who’ll follow up when you’re back in the newsroom.
4:45–5:00 PM · Closing Remarks & Goodbyes
You’ll leave with more than notes. You’ll leave with a plan.
A personal commitment to one change you’ll make, the frameworks to act on it, and a peer partner who’ll follow up when you’re back in the newsroom.
Resources
Resources
Session slides and handouts live with their sessions in the schedule above, tagged Attendees Only. Everything below is open to everyone.
Near + Now Indianapolis Workbook PDF
The full companion workbook from Near + Now Indianapolis — notes pages, prompts, and worksheets from the day.
Sponsored by SciLine
10 Signs Your Newsroom May Need a Change
A quick self-assessment for when the work isn’t flowing quite as well as it should
Idea Lab: Workflow Documentation Tip sheet
Best practices from a peer conversation on July 20 — practitioners comparing notes on documentation systems, from handbooks and SOPs to style guides and project roadmaps.
Workflow Documentation · Tool Finder Interactive
Answer two quick questions and we’ll point you to a tool worth trying. The best tool isn’t the fanciest one — it’s the one your team will actually open.
Building an Emergency Playbook: Planning Before the Story Breaks Recording
Laura Lee of NC Local — who led Blue Ridge Public Radio through Hurricane Helene — walks you through building an editorial workflow plan before you need it: roles, communication, coverage priorities, and keeping your team safe.
Overcoming Personal Conflict in the Newsroom Recording
Bec Feldhaus Adams (Louisville Public Media) and Ryan Van Velzer (Appalachia Mid + South Newsroom) on managing workplace conflict productively and working happily alongside — even befriending — your “work nemesis.”
Resources
Resources
Session slides and handouts live with their sessions in the schedule above, tagged Attendees Only. Everything below is open to everyone.
Overcoming Personal Conflict in the Newsroom Webinar
Bec Feldhaus Adams (Louisville Public Media) and Ryan Van Velzer (Appalachia Mid + South Newsroom) on managing workplace conflict productively and working happily alongside — even befriending — your “work nemesis.”
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · 3:00–4:00 PM (EDT)
Near + Now Indianapolis Workbook PDF
The full companion workbook from Near + Now Indianapolis — notes pages, prompts, and worksheets from the day.
Sponsored by SciLine
10 Signs Your Newsroom May Need a Change
A quick self-assessment for when the work isn’t flowing quite as well as it should
Idea Lab: Workflow Documentation Tip sheet
Best practices from a peer conversation on July 20 — practitioners comparing notes on documentation systems, from handbooks and SOPs to style guides and project roadmaps.
Workflow Documentation · Tool Finder Interactive
Answer two quick questions and we’ll point you to a tool worth trying. The best tool isn’t the fanciest one — it’s the one your team will actually open.
Building an Emergency Playbook: Planning Before the Story Breaks Recording
Laura Lee of NC Local — who led Blue Ridge Public Radio through Hurricane Helene — walks you through building an editorial workflow plan before you need it: roles, communication, coverage priorities, and keeping your team safe.
The Venue
The Athenaeum
The Athenaeum has been one of Indianapolis’s most interesting buildings since 1893, when it was built as Deutsche Haus, a German-American cultural center. The Victorian Romanesque architecture holds up well. So does the Rathskeller in the basement, which provided lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
Main sessions took place in the Basile Theatre, with breakout rooms available in the afternoon.
Getting There & Where to Stay
Plan your trip
By Air
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is about 20 minutes from The Athenaeum by car or rideshare.
Rideshare
Lyft and Uber both serve downtown Indianapolis reliably.
Parking
Block 20 Garage is directly adjacent to the venue.
Hotel
Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown
10 East Market Street · 0.4 miles from The Athenaeum
The Evening Before
Tuesday, August 25
Tuesday, August 25
A WFYI tour, then dinner with new colleagues before the work began.
WFYI opened its doors for station tours at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, August 25.
That evening, attendees headed out to dinner at restaurants around the city, each one chosen by a local Indianapolis volunteer who knows the city well.
After the Day
Evening Reception: Wednesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 26
Duckpin bowling, pinball, and good company to close out the day.
WFYI, our Indianapolis host station, sent everyone off in style. After the program wrapped, the group headed to Pins Mechanical Company in the Bottleworks District for duckpin bowling, pinball machines, yard games, and light snacks.
Scholarships
The Indianapolis scholarship application window has closed.
480 Cedar Street
401 9th St NW
The Kling Public Media Center 480 Cedar Street
