Meet IndyStar investigative and politics intern Marissa Meador
IndyStar's newsroom internships are an important tradition that benefits readers, the news industry and aspiring journalists. We have nine summer interns for 2025 — students who have shown a passion for local journalism and have prior internship or student media experience. The program provides a bridge from student journalism to the professional ranks and helps the Star fill the gaps as our full-time staff take well-earned vacation time.
Similarly, we're taking a break from our "Meet the Staff" feature for the summer to give you a chance to, yes, meet the interns. We also call them Pulliam fellows — in recognition of the family that used to own the newspaper and has continued to support journalism in Indianapolis — and past participants have gone on to rich careers at the Star and elsewhere in journalism.
Up this week is 2025 IndyStar intern Marissa Meador.
My beat is investigations, with a focus on politics.
I just graduated from IU Bloomington with degrees in political science and journalism in May.
My favorite part of being a journalist is the variety and unpredictability of each day. I love how the stories I write can teach me more about hidden corners of the world, from the nitty-gritty of the debate over forest management practices to the quirks of a person I'm profiling.
I applied to IndyStar because I admire the great work its reporters and editors do, from hard-hitting investigations to critical community news. I grew up getting the newspaper delivered to my house in Mooresville, just south of Indianapolis, so IndyStar holds a special place in my heart.
My internship is sponsored by the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.
I'm still working through season 2 of "The Last of Us," so no spoilers please!
I'll never get tired of "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" by Bob Dylan (but preferably the duet version with Joan Baez).
This is an impossible question because I love them both! But I grew up around dogs and currently have a beagle named Pixie, so I may have to go with dogs.
I'd love to see the beautiful sights of Utah's national parks one day.
If I could travel back in time, I would meet Joan Didion. She's my favorite author and I'd love to pick her brain about how she developed her writing style.
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