First Amendment advocates condemn Indiana University’s decision this week to suspend publication of the amendment’s print edition indiana daily student newspaperThe move comes after administrators fired an adviser for allegedly refusing a request to censor the student newspaper.
The Foundation for Personal Rights and Expression called the decision “outrageous,” while officials at the Student Journalism Law Center viewed the move as a classic example of censorship. The newspaper’s editors said they hoped to work with universities to resolve the issue, but pledged “a boycott as long as universities ignore the law.”
“Any alternative to the courts is the preferred option,” IDS editors Mia Hilowitz and Andrew Miller wrote in an op-ed on Wednesday.
The decision is the latest conflict between student journalists and institutions. Earlier this year, Purdue ended its partnership with the student newspaper, citing “institutional neutrality.” The move also echoes Texas A&M’s unilateral decision in 2022 to end the print edition of its student newspaper.
this intrusion detection system Editors first drew attention to the firing of student media director Jim Rodenbush in a column on Tuesday. They accuse Indiana University of expelling Rodenbush after he refused to follow administrators’ instructions to censor the newspaper’s homecoming edition. Administrators reportedly told Rodenbush that the paper would only contain information about Homecoming and “no traditional front-page news coverage.” But when he resisted, editors indiana daily student newspaper Rodenbush was fired after pressuring media school administrators for clarification.
Termination letter shared with Inside higher education and signed by School of Media Dean David Tolchinsky, who accused Rodenbush of a “lack of leadership” and an inability to “follow the direction of the university’s student media program,” which he called “unacceptable.” Torchinsky added that Rodenbush “will not be eligible for rehire from IU.”
Termination letter sent to Jim Rodenbush.
After Rodenbush was ousted, administrators canceled the paper’s publication, citing a plan adopted last year that outlined plans for the student newspaper to shift from a print to a digital platform.
“In support of the action plan, the campus has decided to make this shift effective this week, aligning IU with industry trends and providing experiential opportunities more aligned with future digital-first media careers,” Torchinsky wrote in an email to the Student Editor. Inside higher education.
Indiana administrators deny that the university censored the newspaper, despite telling the student publication not to publish the news. Indiana University officials said the newspaper retains full editorial control.
Accelerate transformation
In a statement shared with Inside higher education Officials wrote, crediting only an IU spokesperson, “IU Bloomington is committed to building a vibrant and independent student media ecosystem.” The move from print to digital is intended to “prioritize a student experience that is more consistent with today’s digital-first media environment while also addressing the school’s long-standing structural deficiencies,” the statement added. indiana daily student newspaper“.
President David Reingold also mentioned the action plan in a statement, noting that “the campus will complete the transition from print to digital this week.” He added that the decision “involves the communication medium, not editorial content,” and that IU upholds “the right of student journalists to report their stories freely and without interference.”
Torchinsky, Chairman Pamela Whitten and board members did not respond to requests for comment Inside higher education. IU did not respond to specific questions emailed.
While Indiana officials deny censoring student newspapers, some officials are concerned about the effects of shutting down coverage, according to state officials. indiana daily student newspaper.
When Rodenbush reportedly declined a directive to censor newspapers at a Sept. 25 meeting, Ron McFall, assistant dean for strategy and administration at the School of Media, asked: “You know, how do we frame this decision in a way that doesn’t come across as censorship?”
McFaul did not respond to a request for comment. Inside higher education.
“A textbook case of censorship”
roddenbush told Inside higher education In a telephone interview, he expressed surprise that he was fired and was willing to explore all legal options. He also said what happened at Indiana University was not a business decision but pure censorship.
“This is a textbook case of censorship,” Rodenbush said.
He also questioned the idea that what happened was part of a shift toward digital products. In fact, Rodenbush believes that this shift was largely already happening when university administrators decided last year to reduce print publication from once a week to seven times during the spring semester. The seven printings are special editions because they are “usually our largest source of revenue,” Rodenbush said. This year’s special edition has been printed as a supplement, or essentially inserted into the regular edition of the newspaper.
Rodenbush said he never heard administrators express concern about the practice before the fall semester until they objected to inserting homecoming pages in regular newspapers in September. When asked to suppress Homecoming news coverage, Rodenbush told Media School administrators, including Torchinsky, that he “would not be involved in censoring the newspaper,” which he said led to his firing.
Silowitz and Miller intrusion detection system The editors also disputed the view conveyed to them by Torchinsky that the elimination of print publications was anything but censorship.
“Jim Rodenbush did the right thing by refusing to censor our print edition, and Indiana University decided to fire him. This was an intentional intimidation tactic against student journalists and faculty. On the same day, the School of Media decided to completely cut our print newspaper, completely ensuring that we would not be able to print news. We are losing revenue as a result of this decision,” they wrote in a joint emailed statement.
The pair accused Indiana University of trying to “irrationally justify” the censorship as a “business decision.”
Mike Hiestrand, senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center Inside higher education IU’s conduct amounted to content-based censorship and was a “clear violation of the First Amendment.”
When asked to comment on IU’s response, Systrand commented that “no censor wants to be called a censor,” but “that’s clearly the case.” He added that being told not to release certain information is “an act of content-based censorship.” Speaking at a media conference in Washington, D.C., attended by hundreds of student journalists and advisors, Systrand said attendees were shocked and outraged by the situation.
“I think what happened here is appalling. We have strong laws to prevent this from happening,” Systrand said.
Free speech under attack
The censorship controversy comes amid widespread criticism of Indiana University’s free speech situation, with FIRE ranking IU among the worst schools in the nation for campus speech. Indiana University ranks 255th out of 257 universities in FIRE’s free speech rankings.
Since Wheaton became president in 2021, there has been a series of rhetorical controversies on Indiana University’s campus.
Wheaton also faces accusations of plagiarizing portions of her paper, and she is accused of retaliating against professors who criticized her and stifled academic freedom. Under her leadership, IU also implemented broad restrictions on campus speech in the wake of student protests in 2023 and sought to bar faculty who accepted buyouts from criticizing the university.
Due to concerns about censorship at Indiana University, FIRE sent a letter to Whitten, issued a statement and launched a national petition.
“For a student publication to censor a university after reporting on its poor record on free speech is not only an egregious display of lack of self-awareness, but a violation of the First Amendment,” FIRE student journalism program officer Dominic Coletti said in a statement. “If IU is embarrassed by its poor showing in college free speech rankings, it should put down the shovel and start caring more about students’ constitutional rights rather than its own image.”
The Indiana Student Association also condemned IU’s handling of the incident.
The university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors urged administrators to reconsider decisions to fire advisors and cut the print edition, saying the situation further deteriorates Indiana University’s commitment to free speech.
“Director Rodenbush and the Indiana Student Daily’s refusal to be intimidated by calls to voluntarily abrogate constitutionally protected rights truly demonstrates that they are out of step with a university administration that has consistently silenced dissenting voices and appeared to disregard First Amendment protections,” the chapter said in a statement.
The latest controversy has also drawn national attention and includes big-name donors such as billionaire entrepreneur and Indiana University alumnus Mark Cuban. Cuban has previously donated to support indiana daily student newspapercalling out the admins in a post on X.
“Not happy. Censorship is not the way out,” Cuban wrote Wednesday. “I gave the money [the] IU provided IDS with a general fund last year so they could pay everyone without running a deficit. I gave more than they asked for. I told them I would be happy to help because IDS is important to the kids at IU. “
