Indiana University fires student media director after he refused directive to censor newspaper

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The editorial staff of the Indiana Daily Student is rallying around former Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush after Indiana University ousted him as head of the student newspaper for refusing to comply with a directive to censor an upcoming print edition.

According to a Letter from the Editor published by IDS, Rodenbush was given a directive by the Media School to include no news in the Oct. 16 Homecoming edition of the student newspaper. The Media School ordered the paper to stick only to “information about homecoming” and leave out all other news.

“Telling us what we can and cannot print is unlawful censorship, established by legal precedent surrounding speech law on public college campuses,” said IDS editors Andrew Miller and Mia Hilkowitz.

Rodenbush took his concerns directly to the dean with IDS editors emailing Media School administrators on Monday, asking for further clarity on the order while also requesting the directive be rescinded.

But the Media School’s response was to immediately terminate Rodenbush.

“Your lack of leadership and ability to work in alignment with the University’s direction for the Student Media Plan is unacceptable,” wrote Media School Dean David Tolchinsky in a termination letter shared by IDS.

“The Media School decided to fire Jim Rodenbush after he did the right thing by refusing to censor our print edition. What more is there to say?” said Miller in a statement to FOX59/CBS4. “This is a deliberate scare tactic toward student journalists and faculty. We want to make it abundantly clear that our resistance to the Media School’s directive isn’t about print itself. It’s about maintaining our editorial independence. IU has no legal right to dictate what we can and cannot print in our paper. Is this the best use of our or the university’s time? We should be working toward financial stability, not convoluted censorship.”

This indictment of censorship by the IDS editorial staff isn’t the first time in recent months Indiana University leadership has come under fire for their handling of free speech.

In September, Indiana University was named the country’s worst public university for free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. This poor rating stems mostly from the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests on Dunn Meadow in spring 2024.

Indiana University said it would not comment on individual personnel matters when asked about the termination of Rodenbush.

The university did provide the following statement:

Indiana University Bloomington is committed to a vibrant and independent student media ecosystem. As part of the 2024 Action Plan for Student Media, the campus is shifting resources from print to digital media, prioritizing student experiences that are more consistent with today’s digital-first media environment while also addressing a longstanding structural deficit at the Indiana Daily Student. Editorial control remains fully with IDS leadership, and the university will continue to work closely with them to ensure the strength, sustainability and independence of student media at IU.