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First Amendment advocates are condemning Indiana University\u2019s decision this week to suspend print publication of the Indiana Daily Student<\/em>, a move that comes after administrators fired its adviser for allegedly rejecting demands to censor the student newspaper. <\/p>\n The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression called the decision \u201coutrageous,\u201d while officials at the Student Press Law Center cast the move as a classic case of censorship. Editors at the newspaper say they want to work with the university to address the issue but pledged \u201cto resist as long as the university disregards the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny other means than court would be preferred,\u201d wrote IDS editors Mia Hilowitz and Andrew Miller in an op-ed Wednesday.<\/p>\n The decision is the latest flare-up between student journalists and institutions. Earlier this year, Purdue University ended its partnership with the student paper, citing \u201cinstitutional neutrality.\u201d The move also echoes Texas A&M University\u2019s unilateral decision in 2022 to end its student newspaper\u2019s print edition.<\/p>\n The IDS<\/em> editors first brought attention to the firing of Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush in a Tuesday op-ed. They accused IU of ousting Rodenbush after he refused to follow directions from administrators to censor a homecoming edition of the newspaper. Administrators reportedly told Rodenbush the newspaper was only to contain information about homecoming and \u201cno traditional front page news coverage.\u201d But when he resisted, and editors at the Indiana Daily Student<\/em> pressed Media School administrators for clarity, Rodenbush was fired. <\/p>\n A termination letter shared with Inside Higher Ed<\/em> and signed by Media School dean David Tolchinsky accused Rodenbush of a \u201clack of leadership\u201d and inability \u201cto work in alignment with the University\u2019s direction for the Student Media Plan,\u201d which he called \u201cunacceptable.\u201d Tolchinsky added that Rodenbush \u201cwill not be eligible for rehire at Indiana University.\u201d<\/p>\n The termination letter sent to Jim Rodenbush.<\/p>\n After Rodenbush was ousted, administrators canceled publication of the newspaper, citing a plan adopted last year that outlined a shift for the student newspaper from print to digital platforms.<\/p>\n \u201cIn support of the Action Plan, the campus has decided to make this shift effective this week, aligning IU with industry trends and offering experiential opportunities more consistent with digital-first media careers of the future,\u201d Tolchinsky wrote in an email to student editors obtained by Inside Higher Ed<\/em>.<\/p>\n Indiana administrators deny that the university censored the paper, despite telling the student publication not to publish news. IU officials say that the newspaper retains full editorial control.<\/p>\n In a statement shared with Inside Higher Ed<\/em> and attributed only to an IU spokesperson, officials wrote, \u201cIndiana University Bloomington is committed to a vibrant and independent student media ecosystem.\u201d The statement added that the shift from print to digital is geared toward \u201cprioritizing student experiences that are more consistent with today\u2019s digital-first media environment while also addressing a longstanding structural deficit at the Indiana Daily Student<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Chancellor David Reingold also pointed to the action plan in his statement, noting that \u201cthe campus is completing the shift from print to digital effective this week.\u201d He added that the decision \u201cconcerns the medium of distribution, not editorial content,\u201d and IU upholds \u201cthe right of student journalists to pursue stories freely and without interference.\u201d<\/p>\n Tolchinsky, President Pamela Whitten and members of the Board of Trustees did not respond to requests for comment from Inside Higher Ed<\/em>. IU did not answer specific questions sent by email.<\/p>\n Although Indiana officials have denied censoring the student newspaper, some officials were concerned about the optics of shutting down coverage, according to the Indiana Daily Student<\/em>.<\/p>\n When Rodenbush pushed back on the directive to censor the newspaper in a Sept.\u00a025 meeting, Ron McFall, assistant dean of strategy and administration at the Media School, reportedly asked, \u201cHow do we frame that, you know, in a way that\u2019s not seen as censorship?\u201d<\/p>\n McFall did not respond to a request for comment from Inside Higher Ed<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rodenbush told Inside Higher Ed<\/em> in a phone interview that he was surprised by his firing and open to exploring all legal options. He also cast the happenings at IU not as a business decision but pure censorship.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a textbook case of censorship,\u201d Rodenbush said. <\/p>\n He also disputed the notion that what happened was part of a shift to a digital product. In fact, Rodenbush argued, that shift largely already happened when university administrators decided last year to scale back the publication of the print edition from weekly to seven editions across the spring semester. Those seven printings were special editions, Rodenbush said, given that those \u201care generally our biggest revenue generators.\u201d Special editions this year have been printed as supplemental sections, or essentially inserts into the regular editions of the paper.<\/p>\n Prior to the fall semester, Rodenbush said, he never heard concerns from administrators about that practice until they objected to publishing the homecoming edition as an insert in the regular newspaper in September. When asked to ban news coverage from the homecoming edition, Rodenbush told Media School administrators, including Tolchinsky, he \u201cwasn\u2019t going to participate in censoring the paper,\u201d which he said led to his firing.<\/p>\n Hilowitz and Miller, the IDS<\/em> editors, also disputed the notion that the cancellation of the print publication, which was communicated to them by Tolchinsky, was anything but censorship. <\/p>\n \u201cIU decided to fire Jim Rodenbush after he did the right thing by refusing to censor our print edition. That was a deliberate scare tactic toward student journalists and faculty. The same day, the Media School decided to fully cut our physical paper, fully ensuring we couldn\u2019t print news. We\u2019re losing revenue because of that decision,\u201d they wrote in a joint emailed statement.<\/p>\n The duo accused IU of trying to \u201cirrationally justify\u201d censorship as a \u201cbusiness decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Hiestrand, senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, told Inside Higher Ed<\/em> that IU\u2019s actions amount to content-based censorship and are \u201ca clear violation of the First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to weigh in on IU\u2019s response, Hiestrand commented, \u201cNo censor wants to be called a censor,\u201d but \u201cthat\u2019s clearly the case.\u201d He added that being told not to publish certain information is \u201cas content-based an action of censorship as you can get.\u201d In an interview at a media conference in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of student journalists and advisers in attendance, Hiestrand said that there has been a sense of shock and outrage from attendees over the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s shock that this happened here. We have strong laws that protect against this,\u201d Hiestrand said.<\/p>\n The censorship flap comes amid broad criticism of the state of free expression at IU, which FIRE ranked as one of the nation\u2019s worst institutions on campus speech. Of 257 universities, FIRE ranked IU at 255 in its free speech rankings.<\/p>\n IU has seen a flurry of campus speech controversies since Whitten became president in 2021.<\/p>\n Whitten, who is also facing allegations that she plagiarized parts of her dissertation, has been accused of retaliating against a professor for criticizing her and stifling academic freedom. Under her leadership, IU has also imposed broad restrictions on campus speech in the wake of 2023 student protests and attempted to bar faculty who took buyouts from criticizing the university.<\/p>\n Amid censorship concerns at IU, FIRE sent a letter to Whitten, released a statement and launched a national petition.<\/p>\n \u201cCensoring a student publication after it reported on a university\u2019s dismal record on free speech isn\u2019t just a stunning display of lack of self-awareness, it\u2019s a violation of the First Amendment,\u201d FIRE student press program officer Dominic Coletti said in a statement. \u201cIf Indiana University is embarrassed about its terrible showing in the College Free Speech Rankings, it should put down the shovel and start caring more about its students\u2019 constitutional rights than its own image.\u201d<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s Student Government Association also condemned IU\u2019s handling of the matter.<\/p>\n The university\u2019s chapter of the American Association of University Professors urged administrators to reconsider their decisions to fire the adviser and cut the print edition, saying the situation further deteriorates IU\u2019s commitment to free speech.<\/p>\n \u201cIn refusing to be cowed by demands to voluntarily abrogate constitutionally protected rights, Director Rodenbush and the Indiana Daily Student have indeed shown themselves out of alignment with a University Administration that has consistently silenced dissenting voices with a seeming disregard for First Amendment protections,\u201d the chapter said in a statement.<\/p>\n This latest controversy is also gaining national attention from big-name donors such as Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and IU alum. Cuban, who previously donated money to support the Indiana Daily Student<\/em>, called out administrators in a post on X.<\/p>\n \u201cNot happy. Censorship isn\u2019t the way,\u201d Cuban wrote Wednesday. \u201cI gave money to [the] IU general fund for the IDS last year, so they could pay everyone and not run a deficit. I gave more than they asked for. I told them I\u2019m happy to help because the IDS is important to kids at IU.\u201d<\/p>\nAccelerating a Shift<\/h2>\n
\u2018Textbook Case of Censorship\u2019<\/h2>\n
Free Speech Under Fire<\/h2>\n