Talk:Indiana Governor signs needle exchange program

Emails
I interviewed Thomas Washburne (R-Evansville) on Monday, April 27, 2015 via email as he finished up the state's legislative session.

Outreach
Hi, Brandi (Washburne's press secretary), I am a senior journalism major at USI. I'm working on a backgrounder about Washburne and a story about needle exchange programs for my Online Journalism class. I was hoping to get a couple of minutes with Washburne by Monday night. If he is unable to call me, here are my questions: 1.) Have you been a part of any conversations about the piece of legislation that would allow the 23 Indiana counties with the highest rates of Hepatitis C to establish needle exchange programs, and allow other counties to make the decision amongst themselves? 2.) Did you hear any of the testimony about needle exchange programs? 3.) What are your personal thoughts about needle exchange programs? What about how the bill has been written? 4.) What are the big issues on your radar as you near the end of the session? Thank you so much, James Vaughn

Response
From: House District64 Date: Monday, April 27, 2015 5:17 PM To: Editor-in-Chief Subject: RE: Questions for Thomas Washburne

Dear James Vaughn, Thank you for reaching out to me about the needle exchange program. I apologize that I am unable to discuss your questions over the phone. With the time constraints that exist at the end of session, my ability to talk over the phone is very limited. However, I appreciate you contacting me and have set fourth responses to your questions below. 1. I have been involved in discussions pertaining to the needle exchange program that was written into Senate Bill 461. 2. I did not personally hear the testimony for Senate Bill 461 as I am not a member of the Public Health Committee, but I was able to hear discussions on the needle exchange program. 3. I am inclined to follow the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control in implementing needle exchanges. My vote against Senate Bill 461 was not due to the needle exchanges but other issues involved in the bill. 4. With the 2015 session coming to an end my focus is currently completing the Indiana State’s bi-annual budget and conference bills. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Sincerely, Thomas Washburne State Representative

Lecture
FYI for editors: The photographs were taken on the day when the crisis first became known in Indiana and the world press. That day Dr. Schaffner from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine spoke out at USI in Evansville. At that time, Gov. Pence was hesitant to allow for needle exchanges but was open to the suggestions of the CDC. The next day Gov. Pence met with the CDC, declared the health emergency for Scott County, and allowed for a limited needle exchange program in that county on 30-day renewal basis on the advice of the CDC.

Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Global Challenge Dr. William Schaffner Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Mitchell Auditorium Health Professions Center University of Southern Indiana Evansville Indiana

Crtew (talk) 17:24, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

Tweets
As a student journalist at the University of Southern Indiana, I live-tweeted Dr. Shaffner's lecture at the university.

James Vaughn ‏@JamesRLVaughn "Needle exchange programs ought to be used," Shaffner said. "They have been proven to work and do not cause an increase in drug use." 0 retweets 0 favorites Reply Retweet  Favorite More 7:33 PM - 25 Mar 2015

James Vaughn ‏@JamesRLVaughn Shaffner says his plan of action would be to "block and tackle," which is always the best course of action during an outbreak. 0 retweets 0 favorites Reply Retweet  Favorite More 7:21 PM - 25 Mar 2015

https://twitter.com/jamesrlvaughn

Note to editor
If the editor should deem this story newsworthy, perhaps it may be best to publish when Pence signs the bill, which is a future action. This would change it from a submitted story to a story in preparation. Between now and that time, the article could go through a collaborative review/rewrite. This is just a suggestion. The story has original reporting, but the submitted focus was not fresh long, but the Governor's future signature will bring currency back. Crtew (talk) 18:17, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

Response to editor

 * Governor Pence has yet to sign the bill, but he said he will. He should do it any day now, which would make the story extremely timely.
 * I removed the NYT sourcing.
 * I tried to forward the emails between Washburne and I to scoop@wikinewsie.org, but I got an error response saying the mail recipient had reached their mail quota capacity. I'm not sure what I should do about that.
 * I added the link to my Twitter feed.


 * It appears your email (there was just one, right?) did arrive at scoop. I think that error response has to do with some individuals on the list, not with scoop as a whole.  --Pi zero (talk) 17:27, 3 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Yes, there was just that one. What should I do next?

Pence signs
The story has been updated to support the headline and news lead with at least two sources. The story has been tweaked. And it looks like the email has gone through scoop. Comment tags should help in editing the story. So it looks like it is ready for a review. Crtew (talk) 13:58, 6 May 2015 (UTC)

I think the reporter confused sources and external links. The link to "Indiana General Assembly 2015 Session Committees" —  could be an external link but that link doesn't actually go to the bill and is not necessary. I''l let the editor decide. Crtew (talk) 14:03, 6 May 2015 (UTC)

Same for Senator Patricia Miller, Senator Vaneta Becker. "Indiana General Assembly 2015 Session Senate Bill 461" —