Writing and editing for The Post, the student newspaper at Ohio University, is what made me the journalist I am today. Watching what is happening to student journalism in Indiana is devastating.
Moves at the state’s two flagships, Purdue University and Indiana University, show that college news media is in jeopardy.
Students learn the basics of the job in journalism courses. They learn the history of journalism, the ethics of being a reporter and how to use tools of the craft.
But writing for a daily or weekly publication gives you so much more. The Post is where I learned to connect with sources, build relationships, dig into data and records and put together stories that educate and connect with readers.
It gave me true experience — not like turning in a story to one professor for a grade.
At Purdue University, the administration halted on-campus distribution of The Exponent. The paper was told to remove the “Purdue” part of its name for all commercial uses. The Purdue Student Publishing Foundation currently has a trademark over the name. The Exponent’s employees are no longer allowed to buy campus parking passes, either.
But it’s way worse at Indiana University, which has a proud history of championing journalism and public transparency.
Leaders at IU’s Media School pressured the Indiana Daily Student’s adviser to remove non-homecoming stories from the special print edition set to be published on campus last week. The adviser resisted and was fired. The school then canceled all special print editions.
Look, many college papers are now digital and that’s just a sad fact. Print is expensive.
But the student media plan that IU agreed to includes special print editions. This kind of edition is especially important during homecoming, when alumni are on campus and can pick up the paper to see what’s going on at their alma mater.
Administrators don’t want alumni to see what’s up, apparently. They only wanted fluff pieces about homecoming in the edition. And when student journalists pushed back, IU canceled the entire thing with no notice.
So, what was so offensive that it sparked this blowup? The entire edition was posted online. It includes 12 pages of homecoming coverage — and more.
A feature on a wrestling club. A story on the data center boom. Dogs in costumes at a parade. A photo story on the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch. A new Habitat for Humanity build.
The only slightly controversial piece is a story on a documentary about free speech on the IU campus.
“This is not about print. This is about a breach of editorial independence,” a letter from Co-Editors Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller reads. “If IU decides certain types of content are ‘bad for business,’ what stops them from prohibiting stories that hold them to account on our other platforms?”
Many say this is “just” a special print edition, but that’s how censorship starts. The next time, students could be told not to cover stories that might embarrass the administration in the online edition. And that’s not a game to play.
More than money
There is a fair discussion to be had about money. The IDS had run up a deficit of almost $1 million over a decade, which the university cleared last year. The Media School issued a student media action plan that said print editions are still important.
“We will maintain plans for existing special editions regularly published during the academic year. Preserving these high-revenue issues will yield a net savings (print expense reduction will outweigh lost revenue from weekly editions) and will enable student media to continue to provide numerous and substantial opportunities for students to learn and practice essential design and other skills associated with the print operation,” it reads.
I have seen a lot of discussion about the deficit and how it came to exist, and I just want to note that many activities on a campus individually run a deficit. Public education isn’t a business. It’s about teaching students — and let me tell you, nothing works better than doing it for real.
The entire Indiana University athletics department ran a $3.1 million deficit for the 2024 fiscal year, and I didn’t hear anyone complaining. There are absolutely individual sports that lose money but are subsidized by more high-profile sports. And that’s fine, because sports are a part of the educational experience. They teach teamwork, responsibility and commitment.
All three of those are also things that student journalists learn at the Indiana Daily Student.
The IU administration needs to review its actions, and these students deserve an apology. Gov. Mike Braun remade the board of trustees and this is a great opportunity for them to step in and reverse course.