If you don’t regularly find yourself engaging with student journalism, you might have missed what happened at Indiana University last week. In what can only be described as a PR trainwreck and a gross intrusion on the rights of the press, the university terminated the Media School’s Director of Student Media and barred the school’s newspaper, The Indiana Daily Student, from publishing their print edition.
Like many university papers across the country, The Indiana Daily Student had already cut down their print production. Namely, they had historically printed on a weekly basis, but late last year the university scaled them back to seven special editions per year, ultimately citing budget concerns. These special editions also came with stipulations, with the idea that they were to be tied to campus events and included tie-ins like maps and schedules. But this is where the problem lies.
According to the now-former Media School director, Jim Rodenbush, the university had been inquiring about the inclusion of news articles in these special editions. Eventually, the tension over these news articles culminated in the university telling Rodenbush to remove all of them from the upcoming homecoming print edition. Rodenbush refused, saying it was the students’ choice what to publish. Consequently, in what can only be deemed an egregious breach of the principle of free press, the university fired him for this decision, writing in their letter, “Your lack of leadership and ability to work in alignment with the University’s direction for the Student Media Plan is unacceptable.” The next day, the university barred The Indiana Daily Student from printing their paper, directing them only to publish online.
This then begs the question: What exactly were they planning to put in the homecoming edition? What could have been so controversial that the university would react so aggressively? And that’s the kicker, nothing. Absolutely nothing was to be of exceptional note. Even Rodenbush couldn’t think of anything in particular. The Indiana Daily Student was simply doing their job: reporting what happens on their campus.
Why then would the university engage in such a blatant and direct violation of First Amendment rights? After all, it is well-known and well-established legal precedent that student editors at public universities have the right to determine what content they publish.
As always, the answer likely boils down to a pervasive and all-consuming fear of the media; one that has only gotten progressively worse over the years. Journalism used to be viewed as a beacon of truth, but that role has now been clouded and obscured by distrust. But the solution to this breakdown simply is not silencing people.
After all, student media is essential. The Ram has belabored this point already, but it nevertheless demands reiteration. Even just looking at the past two years, without student journalism, the coverage of the encampments and of the visa revocations would have been slim to none. Student journalists simply have this unique ability to be wholly immersed in a university community and be able to break down, dissect, and report on every single one of its nooks and crannies. If you don’t understand how something at a university works, ask a student journalist, they probably know.
And, in light of all of this, The Ram will keep writing and printing, because it’s what we do best. Even in this era of our online world, there is value in a print paper. Whether you read it front to back or use it to wrap gifts, it’s physical proof of journalism. Because it’s not about the money — universities spend more than enough money on frivolous pieces of paper — it’s about power. First the print edition, what next? The website? Social media? These things don’t exist in the vacuum.
So, if you’re reading this on your phone or your laptop, take a chance on print. Hold the paper in your hands and understand that a team of 30 people spent over 20 hours making it, because the information in it matters.
And who knows, maybe you’ll learn something.
