At Indiana University, the journalism school forgot what journalism is for - Poynter

"The Indiana Daily Student, the venerated student newspaper of Indiana University, has taken home oodles of accolades, published ground-breaking work and punched above its weight at every turn. Its alums have won Pulitzers and crowded national newsrooms. Alumni include famed World War II reporter Ernie Pyle, three-time Pulitzer-winning news photographer Michel du Cille, and even the namesake of this institute: Nelson Poynter was an Indiana boy who cut his journalism teeth on campus as the editor-in-chief of the IDS."

"But none of that seems to matter to the college that it calls home, or the academic department that has boasted about the IDS's success for years. This week, the paper is notable for a truly disappointing reason. Indiana University fired IDS adviser Jim Rodenbush on Tuesday afternoon in what appears to be a grapple for control over the pages of an upcoming print issue."

"As a former editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student and an alum of Media School, I find IU's conduct to be the truly unacceptable act. The firing comes after years of IU exerting control over its flagship student publication, a trend that started during my time at the paper. As financial crises rained down upon professional newspapers with the decline of print advertising, they also did so on college campuses across the country."

The Indiana Daily Student has earned numerous accolades, published groundbreaking work and produced alumni who won Pulitzers and led national newsrooms. Alumni include Ernie Pyle, Michel du Cille, and Nelson Poynter, who began as editor-in-chief at the IDS. Indiana University terminated IDS adviser Jim Rodenbush on Tuesday, citing conduct described as 'unacceptable' in a termination letter. The firing occurred amid what appears to be an effort by the university to exert control over an upcoming print issue. Years of increased university oversight followed a 2021 financial crisis when the IDS ran out of funds and the university consolidated student publications under a university-controlled umbrella.

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