Editorial: CM Life stands with Indiana Daily Student, freedom of student press
Just five hours down the road from Mount Pleasant, student journalism is in danger. Indiana University fired the director of student media after he refused to censor the paper on Oct. 14.
The Media School at Indiana University directed the student newspaper to print no news, except for the information about Homecoming, according to the IDS’s editorial.
This happened after the IDS started to print special sections inside the regular newspaper in spring 2025, Homecoming being an example, former Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush told Central Michigan Life.
"Beginning in the fall is when I started to have conversation shared with me that the Provost of the University was concerned that he was still seeing traditional-looking newspapers on the newsstands when he had thought that they would be just special sections," Rodenbush said. "Those concerns, progressively got more, I would say, intense, to the point where they transitioned from just conversation pieces to, I got the idea that it was an expectation, not a suggestion."
When Rodenbush refused to publish Homecoming-only information and said that the university was not in a position to make those decisions, Media School Dean David Tolchinsky sent him a termination letter, saying that his inability to work in alignment with the university was unacceptable.
On Oct. 30, Rodenbush filed a lawsuit against IU, claiming violation of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Additionally, IU cut the print of the Indiana Daily Student newspaper on Oct. 15, but reversed its decision on Oct. 30.
In a letter to the editors, IU officials said cutting the print was a "budget-related decision." IU's total budget is $4.5 billion. The officials also wrote that they established a budget through June 30, 2026, for IDS to use.
"A personnel decision was made on our campus regarding a staff member engaged with the IDS," IU officials wrote. "While the university cannot speak about the details of that decision, I will note that it coincided with a convergence of long-term operational concerns related to the Student Media Action Plan and my recognition that an annual deficit approaching $300,000 is not infinitely sustainable. It was within this context that I chose to halt campus support for print editions of the paper."
We, student journalists at Central Michigan Life, believe IU's decision to stop the printing of the student newspaper and to fire a director of student media is a threatening precedent and a violation of the First Amendment.
As student journalists ourselves, we would have been mad if the university were to censor what we printed. And it would not have stopped us from writing.
We understand how difficult it is to be a student journalist, but also how important it is.
Student journalism informs the local and campus communities, listens to your concerns and keeps government and administration accountable, which is a vital service to maintain democracy.
The college newspaper is where you go to learn the score of the football game, what events are coming up, what enrollment looks like this year, whether tuition will be increased and so much more.
When student journalism stops shining a light on that news, the future falls into darkness.
Furthermore, college newspapers give essential knowledge and raise the next generation of journalists.
Similarly, Rodenbush said student journalism is not only a learning opportunity, but also a public service.
"These are the newspapers and the organizations that are stepping in to cover towns and communities that wouldn't be covered otherwise," he said. "Student media ... (is) a form of perfect chaos, and it deserves to be advocated for and fought for and protected."
We at CM Life also understand the importance of the director of student media who always has your back and advocates for your freedom of speech.
CM Life has been working with Central Michigan University to hire a new director since August.
While we’re lucky to have a former director of student media who donates her time and supports us whenever we need it, as well as great professors in the journalism department, it still feels lonely and sometimes hard without a director in the office this semester.
But we are dedicated to the mission of journalism, and we continue to write and to inform our audience.
To IDS journalists: we stand with you, and we applaud you for the bravery to continue publishing news digitally. Keep writing and shining your light.
Related content:
Column: The life of a student journalist
Editorial: Student journalism is on the front lines; you can help
Editorial: Balancing newsworthiness and minimization of harm
The sky is blue
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