Misunderstood: Pence News Agency Gets Panned

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is distancing himself from plans to launch a state-run news website, after news of it sparked criticism from journalists and others around the country who compared the endeavor to state-run media in Russia and China and demanded that Pence scrap the idea.

"One must wonder if a government-run publication, which is paid for by taxpayers, could ever be more than a marketing service for those who control the purse strings," said Andrew Seaman, the ethics committee chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists. "The press is not free when elected officials serve as editor and publisher," he said.

The Indianapolis Star reported Monday that state communications officials would write news stories and distribute them through "Just IN." Documents obtained by the Star also said the site would break news at times.

Pence says the characterization of the site as a news agency represents "an understandable misunderstanding" and that he supports a free press.

The service named "Just IN" will debut in late February, according to documents obtained by The Star, and will be overseen by a governance board consisting of department communications directors and an editorial board made up of former Star reporter Bill McCleery and the governor's communications staff.

The stories will be posted on a state website and will range from straight news to personality profiles and other features, the Star reported. A question-and-answer sheet distributed to state agency communications directors last week said strategies for determining when to post exclusive news on the site are still being discussed.

Pence on Tuesday said the "Just IN" site will serve as a resource that will house news releases from the governor, lieutenant governor and the agencies they oversee.

Media outlets run by governments exist elsewhere in the United States. The Illinois Government News Network distributes press releases from that state in a more newsy format, and the federal government runs Voice of America, which broadcasts only outside the U.S.

Just IN plans to pitch stories to media outlets and directly to the public.

"Just IN ... will function as a news outlet in its own right for thousands of Hoosiers -- transparent in functioning as a voice of the State of Indiana's executive branch," one document obtained by the Star said.

Steve Key, executive director of the Hoosier State Press Association, said it is too soon to say whether the news service will simply provide more information to the media and the public or if it will be used to circumvent mainstream media.

"It's not uncommon throughout history for governments to do what they can to control the message," Key said. "Is that done in a benign way because they're trying to get more info out to the public, or is it done with hidden motivations in making sure their message is seen in the best light possible?"

Pence now says the website was only ever meant to be a resource, not a news source.

“My objective is simply to make sure that the people of Indiana and the media that serve the people of Indiana have ready access to all the information," he said Tuesday.