INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana officials reduced or suspended Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits belonging to a confidential CGN News source after the newsroom published an investigation concerning the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and requested comment from the state, according to benefit notices and correspondence reviewed by CGN News. CGN News has previously reported critically on our state government, and CGN News believes these actions are politically motivated.
The newsroom also says a CGN News employee was separately targeted following critical coverage of Indiana government.
CGN News has not yet determined whether the benefit action resulted from an ordinary eligibility review, an administrative error or retaliation connected to the source’s participation in protected journalism.
The timing, the identities of the people affected and the state’s apparent knowledge of their connection to CGN News raise questions that require a documented explanation.
CGN News is seeking the complete administrative record, appealing the benefit action, preserving communications and system records, and consulting legal counsel regarding potential claims under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The newsroom has asked FSSA to identify the factual and legal basis for the action, disclose when the review began, explain who authorized it and state unequivocally whether any employee or official considered CGN News coverage, a request for comment or the affected individuals’ association with the newsroom.
No court has determined that Indiana officials retaliated against CGN News, its source or its employee. The state must be given a full opportunity to explain its actions. That explanation, however, must be supported by records rather than a generalized assertion that the agency followed normal procedure.
UPDATE | The Indiana Family & Social Services Administration and Indiana Attorney General's Office did not respond to CGN News request for comment.
Additional Reporting By: CGN News FSSA Investigation; and CGN Politics Brief.