Forty-eight faculty members at the Indiana University Media School signed an open letter to students sharing their outrage at the university cancelling print editions of the campus paper, The Indiana Daily Student.
“Like you, we feel betrayed,” the letter said. “Our conversations with administrators in recent days have led to disappointing outcomes: No public apologies, no acknowledgement of mistakes, no satisfactory explanation for the decisions they made.”
Faculty met for three hours last Friday to discuss events surrounding the IDS. Beside suddenly announcing an end to all print, the university told former Student Media Director Jim Rodenbush to remove all news from a printed homecoming edition and fired him after he refused to do so.
Read more: Update: IU fires adviser of student media, stops printing Daily Student
The university hasn’t said anything on Rodenbush’s firing, saying it won’t comment on personnel matters.
University leaders have declined interview requests about the order to remove news and the decision to cancel print, issuing written statements instead.
Chancellor David Reingold said in an email the decision to stop printing the IDS was based on financial considerations and the future digital media environment, not specific content. University leaders say they remain committed to the paper’s editorial independence.
The Student Media Plan does emphasize the importance of maintaining the print version of the IDS as a “critical learning experience,” however.
“IU is not seen as a safe place for free and open expression, which undermines the educational mission not just of The Media School but of the entire university,” the letter said. “How can it be a safe place for free and open expression, when the university’s top administrators surprise us with censorious decisions that affect our students so directly?”
Media School Dean David Tolchinsky has announced a task force on editorial independence and financial sustainability to develop recommendations for the IDS and other student media.
