(This story has been updated with new information.)
Indiana University has announced a task force on the independence and sustainability of the student newspaper after public pushback to its demand last week that the Indiana Daily Student cease print publication.
The group will be composed of faculty, students and alumni as well as experts in journalism, law and business, IU Media School Dean David Tolchinsky said in an Oct. 20 news release. Members are expected to be appointed by Nov. 3, and the first meeting will take place by Nov. 14.
IU sparked First Amendment concerns Oct. 14 when it abruptly halted the printing of the long-running student newspaper. That announcement came just after Jim Rodenbush, the director of student media, was fired after resisting a directive to remove news coverage from the paper.
Faculty, alumni and free press advocacy groups have released statements condemning both actions.
IU’s journalism faculty said the administration’s actions “breached the core values of journalism that we discuss every day in our classrooms.” Signatories asked for a “complete, independent accounting” of the events leading to the paper’s print cancellation and demanded restoration of printed special editions.
“The local, national – now even international – attention the campus’ actions have drawn cast an ominous light on this university and its disregard for free expression,” an Oct. 19 letter from retired IU journalism professors read in part.
More than 300 IDS alumni signed a letter asking for the IU Student Publication’s Alumni Board to be included in conversations about the IDS’s future.
“We urge you to accept their invitation to speak on behalf of the thousands of student media alumni who still hope to remain proud of their alma mater,” the letter concluded. It is unclear if a representative from the board will be appointed to the task force.
“I want to be completely clear that The Media School stands by our commitment to the editorial independence of student media,” Tolchinsky said in the Oct. 20 release. He then noted awards received by both the student newspaper and IUSTV, the campus television station: “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of our students and staff.”
He said he could not speak about individual personnel matters due to legal and privacy concerns.
Tolchinsky continued to frame IU leaders’ concerns as being tied to financial problems at the Indiana Daily Student.
“A thriving student media ecosystem, including a thriving IDS, is essential for our school, and is in fact written in our strategic plan,” he wrote. “And yet, as of summer 2024, the IDS had amassed a $1 million deficit.”
In an Oct. 20 IDS podcast, Mia Hilkowitz, co-editor-in-chief, questioned whether it made financial sense to cancel the latest print edition less than 48 hours before it was due to roll off the presses.
“We had a lot of advertisers lined up, delivery drivers lined up,” Hilkowitz said. “The cut to print is going to have so many negative business impacts on us. So to frame this as a decision to decrease our deficit is irrational and, I think, purposely misleading to people.”
Tolchsinky said the task force’s recommendations will be delivered to him in early 2026.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter at IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana University plans task force on student newspaper’s independence, finances
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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