Indiana University Fires Student Newspaper Advisor Who Refused To Censor Paper

Photo by Patrick D. Lewis

By Patrick D. Lewis

Administrators at Indiana University have ordered the school’s student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, to stop publishing news pieces and halt all print editions, and have fired the school’s director of student media after he refused to implement the censorship.

Jim Rodenbush, longtime director of student media at Indiana University, was called into meetings with university administrators in September and told that the school no longer wanted the newspaper to distribute print editions other than special sections on campus. Special sections include things like sports previews, homecoming or “welcome back” editions, and themed editions that don’t include traditional news, opinion, and other non-news topics. The university, according to Rodenbush, framed the decision as budgetary but clearly wanted to stop the distribution of news about the university on campus.

The Indiana Daily Student is one of the largest student papers in the country, with over 250 writers annually, said Rodenbush. Several staff members work to support the newspaper. Only Rodenbush has been fired, but he said at an event last week that he’s worried more people could lose their jobs if they hold their line.

After Rodenbush and student staff refused what they saw as blatant attempts to censor the newspaper, Rodenbush was called into a meeting in mid-October where he was informed that the university had fired him, effective immediately. 

The next day, IU announced that their media school would be ending all printed media, including the Daily Student, again claiming it was due to budget concerns, according to Rodenbush.

The move by IU drew widespread attention and condemnation. Rodenbush said he and the newspaper are planning to pursue litigation against the school. University officials told Rodenbush that his failure to follow instructions from the administration was “unacceptable.”

In statements reported by the Associated Press, Indiana University officials claimed the decisions were purely budgetary and that student editors still had discretion. Those editors disputed that in a statement, saying, “IU has no legal right to dictate what we can and cannot print in our paper.” IDS Co-Editor in Chief Andrew Miller also called the school’s decision a “deliberate scare tactic toward journalists and faculty.”

Press freedom advocates say they believe the courts will intervene quickly and will rule firmly in favor of the student newspaper, according to the AP. 
IDS receives around $250,000 per year from the school in support of its operations. High-profile IU donors, including Mark Cuban, have condemned the firing of Rodenbush and the university’s decision to halt publishing print editions of the paper.