Staffers at Indiana University’s student newspaper recently won national awards for sports photography and opinion columns that criticized IU’s administration for stopping the paper’s print edition and firing the paper’s adviser.
IU student Lauren McKinney and alumni Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller received 2025 Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.
“Judges were directed to choose only those entries which they felt were outstanding work worthy of a national honor. If the judges determined that none of the entries rose to the level of excellence, no award was given,” the SPJ writes on its website.
McKinney, who plans to graduate in 2027, won for her “Little 500 crash” photo, which showed about a half dozen cyclists involved in a crash, with some riders on the ground, limbs askew and faces in the dirt, and other riders and bicycles still in mid-air.
Hilkowitz and Miller, a former Herald-Times intern, won for three columns they wrote in October, when the administration of IU President Pamela Whitten terminated Jim Rodenbush, director of student media, after, as the staffers wrote, “he refused to censor the Indiana Daily Student.”
Hilkowitz and Miller wrote on Oct. 15 that IU initially had directed the paper to stop printing news coverage and to print only special editions which traditionally were inserted into the regular student paper.
“Telling us what we can and cannot print is unlawful censorship,” the co-editors wrote.
IU’s decisions to fire Rodenbush and stop the paper’s print edition drew national attention, sparked allegations of censorship from media and free speech advocates and prompted several alumni to announce they were cancelling future financial contributions to the university.
In late October, IU administrators reversed course, allowing the IDS to continue publishing print editions for the rest of the 2025-2026 school year.
Hilkowitz and Miller called the reversal “a win for student journalism.”
Miller said this week, “The past school year proved how important student journalism is for the country, and it’s been amazing to see all who rallied behind the IDS. We are incredibly grateful to SPJ and all who have recognized our incredible staff’s efforts.”
Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU student journalists win national awards amid censorship dispute
Reporting by Boris Ladwig, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Boris Ladwig, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
