In the wake of censorship, student journalists must disclose the truth. Graphic by Anna Gritzenbach.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | FALL 2025 EDITORIAL BOARD
To the Butler community, Indiana University administrators and the staff of Indiana Daily Student (IDS),
On Oct. 14, Indiana University terminated former Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush. This firing came in the wake of IU’s directive to IDS to publish “nothing but information about homecoming — no other news at all”. Rodenbush pushed back against the Media School and the attempt at blatant censorship, but in the end, he was fired for his “lack of leadership”. Hours later, IU cut IDS’ print newspaper entirely.
The Butler Collegian’s editorial board stands in solidarity with the staff of the IDS. Student journalism is no easy task, and the IDS’ unwavering dedication to its work and readership is unequivocally inspiring. We also vehemently condemn the deplorable and hypocritical actions of Indiana University and the Media School to censor these journalists.
Censorship of any kind is illegal, but the censoring of student journalism is extremely harrowing. Indiana University is hiding behind the veil of “budget cuts” to advocate for their attempt to silence student voices. For a university that was once known for being among the elite media institutions in the country, this is a swift and stark fall from grace.
In the end, this is not just about print editions. Supporting the IDS is about preserving student journalism at its core. Cutting the invaluable services the IDS provides the community is a slippery slope for IU. The university’s consistent attacks on the IDS are not only an ambush on the newspaper itself, it is an attack on student journalism everywhere.
When asked, the IDS Co-Editor-In-Chief, Andrew Miller, provided the Collegian with the following statement:
“The Media School’s decision to fire Jim Rodenbush after he did the right thing by refusing to censor our print edition is abhorrent. We want to make it abundantly clear that our resistance 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. If IU is allowed to move forward here, it sets a chilling precedent for student journalism across the country. All eyes should be on this.”
We call on Indiana University and the Media School’s administration to stop this cowardly censorship and allow student journalism to prosper by properly investing in it.
We further ask all Indiana collegiate media organizations — including, but not limited to, The Purdue Exponent, The Ball State Daily News, The Campus Citizen at IU-Indianapolis, The University of Indianapolis Reflector and Valparaiso University’s The Torch — to rally support for our colleagues at the Indiana Daily Student.
We also implore the Indiana Collegiate Press Association to affirm its support for student media at Indiana University.
Student journalism is the watchdog that keeps institutions in check on college campuses across the nation. We will not be silenced by these university administrations. We will continue to provide outstanding student journalism for our community, and we will not sit back and watch censorship ensue.
A threat to students’ free expression anywhere is a threat to students’ free expression everywhere.
– The Butler Collegian Fall 2025 Editorial Board
