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As WFYI's local coverage of news expands, you'll see more coverage from some new-to-Indy journalists. One recent addition is Pria Mahadevan, business and econmy reporter, who joined the team in December 2020. Prior to WFYI, she was a talk show and podcast producer at Georgia Public Broadcasting and got her start at KALW's Audio Academy in San Francisco.
She brings a passion for community-powered journalism to WFYI, and she's already telling stories that reflect and engage the public in her new city. To help you get acquianted with her, we asked her a few questions. True to her reporting skills, she has some questions for you, too, including tips on coffee and great running spots.
What made you decide to join the WFYI team?
WFYI is doing cool and innovative things around community engagement and equity-driven reporting that, in my mind, put it at the forefront of public media stations across the country. These journalistic frameworks have become increasingly important to me, and I wanted to be part of a team with similar values to mine!
Why did you decide to work in public media?
This is a very long story that I'm still learning how to efficiently distill, but basically... I taught English in Brazil for a year, and the interaction between trust in local news outlets and a robust sense of community and security came into clear focus for me. I returned to the U.S. wanting to help strengthen local news networks across the country, and the mission of public media felt like a natural fit. I view audio journalism as a powerful way to foster empathy and community trust, and while there's still plenty of work to do, I think public media is well-positioned to serve communities in meaningful ways.
What questions do you have about life in Indianapolis?
I am still very new to Indianapolis, so my questions are pretty basic, like: where is the best coffee? The best take-out food? The best running paths (that ideally are not concrete, because my knees hate me)? Seriously, e-mail your suggestions. My existence is mostly just eating and then attempting to burn off the calories I eat.
WFYI's listeners love music (as does our staff). What have you been listening to lately?
Bongeziwe Mabandia's Mangaliso. It's very soothing and engaging at the same time, with lots of musical textures. Plus, it's always interesting to listen to music and have no idea what the words mean, so you can concentrate on the sounds in a different way!
Read Pria Mahadevan's articles to get better acquainted with her work.
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