Indiana University fires student newspaper adviser amid censorship controversy

 Indiana University fires student newspaper adviser amid censorship controversy

The dismissal comes amid growing tensions between the school and the student newspaper over what content is allowed in the print edition.

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Indiana University has fired its student media director amid growing tensions between the school and the student newspaper over what content is allowed in the print edition.

Student media director Jim Rodenbush, adviser to the Indiana Daily Student, confirmed to NBC News that he was fired on Tuesday. According to IndyStar, he was fired just hours before the school directed the IDS to cease all print publications.

A university spokesperson said in an emailed statement Tuesday that the school is "committed to a vibrant and independent student media ecosystem" and that resources have been "shifted from print to digital media, prioritizing student experiences that are more consistent with today's digital-first media environment, while also addressing long-standing structural deficiencies at the Indiana Daily Student."

The spokesperson said, "Editorial control will remain fully with IDS leadership, and the university will continue to work closely with them to ensure the strength, stability, and independence of student media at IU."

The spokesperson said the university does not comment on personnel matters.

A dismissal letter from Rodenbush stated that he was dismissed because his "lack of leadership and ability to work in accordance with the university's directives for student media planning is unacceptable." It also stated that leadership "has lost confidence in your ability to provide appropriate leadership and communication on behalf of the university."

Rodenbush said that about a year ago, the university and the media school announced that IDS would reduce its print frequency from weekly to seven issues per semester. He explained in a phone call Thursday that he was told the school wanted to focus on "special" print editions because "these are traditionally our largest source of revenue."

This directive was implemented in the spring semester. Rodenbush said that students published special editions in the spring the same way they always did: a themed insert was added to the regular print newspaper.

He said, "We did that for seven issues. The entire semester went by, and no one said anything to us."

But in the fall semester, Rodenbush said he faced resistance from administrators and was told that news content could not be included in the print newspaper. The newspaper's website still publishes news.

Rodenbush said that in his role, he provides guidance to IDS staff but cannot tell them what to publish.

He said he told the newspaper's editors that administrators wanted news content removed from the print newspaper, but the Indiana Daily Student did not make this change.

Rodenbush said of the editors, "They are adamant that it is student-run and student-produced, and that the choices are their own." "They understood this was bad and unprecedented, but they never wavered, and I don't expect them to."

The newspaper's editors said in an online letter Tuesday that the order to remove news content from the print newspaper "violates our editorial independence and the Student Media Charter."

"Telling us what we can and cannot print is illegal censorship, established by legal precedent regarding speech laws on public college campuses," the editors wrote.

The newspaper's print edition was scheduled to be published on October 16.

In a post on X, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said he donated money to the university's general fund for the newspaper last year "so they could pay everyone and not have a deficit." He added that he gave more money than the school had requested.

"Not happy. Censorship is not the way to go," he wrote.

Indiana University Bloomington Chancellor David Rheingold said in a statement Wednesday that the school is "strongly committed to the free expression and editorial independence of student media."

He said in an emailed statement, "The university does not and will not interfere in their editorial decisions."

He reiterated that the decision to close the print newspaper was made to address the newspaper's financial challenges and "prepare students for digital-first careers."

"Clearly, the campus decision relates to the distribution medium, not the editorial content," he said. "All editorial decisions are and will remain entirely within the stewardship of IDS and all IU student media. We support the right of student journalists to publish news freely and without interference."

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