IU Won’t Fund Student Media: Stand with the Indiana Daily Student

Last Thursday, during the same week when hundreds of graduate instructors went on strike for union recognition and a living wage, the Indiana Daily Student (IDS) announced a walkout for Thursday, April 25, when its members will protest the administration’s looming threat to eliminate its funding. 

It is no coincidence that organizations all across campus, from the Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) to the IDS, are expressing frustration at this university’s administration. President Pamela Whitten and her administration continually ignore the members of this university and threaten its constitutive institutions we all hold so dear. 

It’s also no coincidence that a university administration that so scorns democracy would also dismantle its journalism. 

Now, as graduate students and faculty see the administration blatantly ignore the will of the people they supposedly serve, IDS suspects the same will happen to its journalism: 

“This semester, a new IU Media School committee aimed to find solutions for student media’s financial issues, including the IDS, IUSTV and WIUX. While we [IDS] wholeheartedly support the committee, recent discussions have led us to believe the university is not interested in reinvesting in student media, as the committee recommends, and does not have the best interest of student media in mind.”

“For years, the IU administration — now under President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav — has failed to adequately support student media, regardless of which administration occupies Bryan Hall. This issue predates the current administration, but we’ve reached the breaking point now.”

The IGWC stands with the IDS, and we encourage all our members to contact everyone you know to let everyone know that the Indiana University Board of Trustees and administration no longer care for shared governance, democracy, journalism, or the members of this university. With the IDS, we share the urgency of its situation and the administration’s upcoming decision on student media.

“Unless we [IDS] take action, we could lose valued professional staff, the print paper, student pay or other valuable pieces that make the IDS thrive. We cannot produce investigations holding powerful people to account, write local features on issues Bloomington residents care about or be capable of producing the awards that this university touts as shining, tangible outcomes for its prospective students without adequate investment.”

“We do not know the exact timeline for this decision, but we know it’s soon and we’re running out of time.” 

Furthermore, we ask our members and supporters to add this to the running list of injustices that led to the overwhelming votes of no confidence in the first place. 

Signed, 

The IGWC Coordinating Committee