Come meet our journalists at IndyStar's mobile newsroom at the Indiana State Fair

"We don't know who you are."

That's probably the clearest message the IndyStar has received from the reader advisory panel that we launched earlier this year. The panel is a mix of avid IndyStar readers, former subscribers and folks who are interested in local journalism but haven't ever supported it with a subscription.

So far, our two panel discussions have been lively. They've challenged and refined our understanding of the breadth of Central Indiana residents' news needs, along with how they're consuming news in an increasingly diffuse media landscape.

Between the 24/7 news cycle, ever-earlier deadlines and a city's news demands that, if we're being honest, have always outpaced our resources, there's always more work to do.

That work starts with some important introductions.

Last week, Indianapolis lost a civic titan with the passing of Jim Morris at age 81. Among Morris' many superpowers was an ability to connect people from his numerous spheres of influence and rally their talents for the greater good of the city.

I never met Morris, but he has my admiration. After all, connection is at the heart of local journalism and the IndyStar's mission.

You may have seen it before, but here's a reminder of our mission statement: IndyStar informs, empowers and inspires the people of Central Indiana with our journalism. We hold the powerful accountable and tell Hoosiers’ stories with depth and empathy. We do this to support democracy, improve lives and make our home state a more equitable place for all.

So who are we? At our core, we're that.

But who we are extends far beyond what we do. We're downtowners, west-siders and east-siders. We call Irvington, Broad Ripple, Fishers, Avon and Brownsburg home. Some of us walk to work at the corner of Meridian and Georgia streets. Some of us navigate Carmel's roundabout maze during our daily commutes.

In short, regardless of who you are or where you live in Central Indiana, an IndyStar journalist is your neighbor. So, we're going to do something neighborly and keep saying hello until you get to know us.

IndyStar: part of your Indianapolis community

As part of IndyStar night at the Indiana Fever's July 12 win over the Phoenix Mercury, a group of our journalists hosted a table to hand out notepads and pens, promote our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter and meet more of our readers. Many thanks to the more than 500 Fever fans who signed up for the newsletter at the event, and to the readers who shared their praise, critique and troubleshooting needs.

Next up, we're headed to the Indiana State Fair, where I hope many of you will come to say hi. IndyStar journalists will be at the fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 2 and Aug. 6-9, working in our first of what I hope will be many "mobile newsroom" events to come.

Our partners in marketing have commissioned an 8-foot-by-10-foot mural of photojournalist Mykal McEldowney's iconic shot of Helio Castroneves and his pit crew celebrating their 2021 Indianapolis 500 win. We hope you'll visit the interactive mural and "climb the fence" for a photo keepsake.

While you're there, you'll have a chance to chat with McEldowney (he's planning to be there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 6), columnist Gregg Doyel, food and dining reporter Bradley Hohulin, investigative reporter Kristine Phillips and many more who have signed up for a shift at the fair.

We hope you'll come and score some IndyStar swag. More importantly, come with your story ideas, your questions about who we are and what we do, and your suggestions for how we can better serve Central Indiana with the news its residents deserve.

If you can't make it to the fair, I'm confident that a mobile newsroom will be headed your way in the months and years ahead.

Finally, if you're the leader of a service organization, community group or business that would be interested in having one of our journalists visit to talk about our work and mission to serve Central Indiana, send me an email at ericlarsen@indystar.com.

We'd love to hear from you. We'll also do our best to take a page from Morris' playbook and make some meaningful connections.

Thank you for reading IndyStar.

Eric Larsen is executive editor of IndyStar. Reach him at ericlarsen@indystar.com or 317-444-7342.