I started to post about this yesterday, but changed my mind. However, it seems to be an issue that is gaining traction in the media. Has anyone been keeping tabs on the IDS fiasco? I wonder how it will impact sports? Mark Cuban tweeted yesterday he wasn’t happy about IUs censorship of the paper and he specifically mentioned money he had donated specifically to fund the paper. Several reporters with ties to IU have also reacted to IUs stance with disappointment. Does this impact Cubans donations to athletics? I see many alums say they were halting their donations to IU because of their actions. This is a concerning issue it seems. I am not saying it will go that deep, but if this is the reason we lose someone like Cig I will be extremely disappointed. The timing of all this is terrible.
Terrible look for and handling by the IU admin but honestly, the paper/print IDS had already been cut to just a few editions per semester. It hasn't been a daily paper in years. Nobody really cried "censorship" about that. And AFAIK the online IDS (which is the one people actually read) has not been censored or directed on what or what not to publish.
Still, if the admin were smart they would not have tried to dictate content, they should have just said "we're not funding a print edition at all anymore." Which is what they have now done, but too late for damage control.
Who knows. I doubt anyone giving to IU athletics is going to get that bent out of shape over whatever is going on with the student newspaper. It's a separate thing.
And as a side note, people who threaten to not donate probably weren't donating before.
Zero movement in the betting markets after this news.
But, I'm sure there will be some panic on this board because lord knows this board loves some panic. Unless there is concrete reporting about specific problems, it doesn't seem like much of an issue with respect to athletics.
I would hope that if there are athletic donors that have strong feelings about this they could compartmentalize those feelings and not punish IU athletics for something they have nothing to do with.
This is my hope as well.I would hope that if there are athletic donors that have strong feelings about this they could compartmentalize those feelings and not punish IU athletics for something they have nothing to do with.
@jj_mcclure I imagine their punishment wouldn't be geared towards sports but since sports is what helps fund the university, they are obviously directly connected. So they are one in the same.
This termination was conducted by the IU Media School Dean, not Pam Whitten or anyone associated with the AD. According to the statement, it was for refusal by the IDS head to embrace the move forward with digital content:
‘Rodenbush received his letter of termination during a meeting with Media School Dean David Tolchinsky on Oct. 14. In the letter, Tolchinsky said university leadership lost trust in his ability to communicate on behalf of the university. It noted he is not eligible to be rehired by IU.
‘Your lack of leadership and ability to work in alignment with the University's direction for the Student Media Plan is unacceptable,’ Tolchinsky said in the letter. ‘Therefore, we are moving forward with your separation’”
“Cross-promotion of content and the launch of new, converged media channels (such as a new combined student media app and a community-focused converged newsletter) will increase the potential for building audience and unlocking new streams of advertising revenue, and shared professional staff will provide efficiencies in business operations. This vision provides for both continued support of the Indiana Daily Student and a means of beginning to provide equitable support to the school’s audio- and video-based student media groups.
In creating this umbrella student operation, The Media School has attempted to balance a number of key priorities while ensuring the new organization will align with campus requirements for budget neutrality. Those priorities, all of which reflect demands on limited resources, include:
- Reducing and ultimately eliminating the IDS operating deficit.
- Maintaining existing professional staff positions devoted to student media.
- Maintaining IU’s distinct student media brands. This includes preserving key operational aspects of each media organization, such as the IDS print product, which provides critical learning experiences for student media workers.
- Creating equity in student support across all three media organizations.
- Increasing revenues through converged digital operations to create opportunities for all three organizations to grow together in the year ahead.”
@big-red-cb-v-2-0 I don’t think that was why. And do you think the dean did it without permission from Whitten? The first problem was when IDS wanted to publish content in the Homecoming edition. They were told they could not. Then their faculty advisor was hired. THEN they were told printing was stopping. The timing makes it pretty obvious they were being punished. Don’t think we want to get Cuban mad, but I doubt he takes it out on football program. But it’s a pretty bad look.
I don't see how from such limited information it makes it 'obvious they were being punished'.
Anyway, how is the student paper funded? Seems like if it's thru the school the school gets some say in the content. Just my opinion. If it's all outside, then not.
I don't see how from such limited information it makes it 'obvious they were being punished'.
Anyway, how is the student paper funded? Seems like if it's thru the school the school gets some say in the content. Just my opinion. If it's all outside, then not.
By student tuition. I think the students should have the say.
Seems like they do have the say. I went online and there it was with several articles on this.
Hard copy is pretty cool still though. Uni put their foot up their, somewhere, to get rid of it, if that's what is happening.
I have been removed from the situation, but I'll give my two cents. Also, I appreciate how civil this post is.
1. From my understanding IU asked the IDS to do a special homecoming print edition (essentially IU puff pieces). Which makes sense seeing that there will be thousands of alumni on campus for various events. That in itself is not a ridiculous ask IMO. The IDS refused (also not absurd).
2. Here's where it seems to go off the rails. Instead of playing ball a little bit, the IDS refused and someone got fired. I think both sides overreacted a bit. They could have put whatever they were going to do online and just printed a puff piece and maybe have secured funding for a couple years or something.
It's an ugly situation.
I have been removed from the situation, but I'll give my two cents. Also, I appreciate how civil this post is.
1. From my understanding IU asked the IDS to do a special homecoming print edition (essentially IU puff pieces). Which makes sense seeing that there will be thousands of alumni on campus for various events. That in itself is not a ridiculous ask IMO. The IDS refused (also not absurd).
2. Here's where it seems to go off the rails. Instead of playing ball a little bit, the IDS refused and someone got fired. I think both sides overreacted a bit. They could have put whatever they were going to do online and just printed a puff piece and maybe have secured funding for a couple years or something.
It's an ugly situation.
I struggle to be civil so I’ll sit this one out. 😂
I have been removed from the situation, but I'll give my two cents. Also, I appreciate how civil this post is.
1. From my understanding IU asked the IDS to do a special homecoming print edition (essentially IU puff pieces). Which makes sense seeing that there will be thousands of alumni on campus for various events. That in itself is not a ridiculous ask IMO. The IDS refused (also not absurd).
2. Here's where it seems to go off the rails. Instead of playing ball a little bit, the IDS refused and someone got fired. I think both sides overreacted a bit. They could have put whatever they were going to do online and just printed a puff piece and maybe have secured funding for a couple years or something.
It's an ugly situation.
thanks for the straight info
It's a stupid one. The conflation of these issues with censorship do not seem warranted and instead are politically motivated by people who have an ax to grind with this administration.I have been removed from the situation, but I'll give my two cents. Also, I appreciate how civil this post is.
1. From my understanding IU asked the IDS to do a special homecoming print edition (essentially IU puff pieces). Which makes sense seeing that there will be thousands of alumni on campus for various events. That in itself is not a ridiculous ask IMO. The IDS refused (also not absurd).
2. Here's where it seems to go off the rails. Instead of playing ball a little bit, the IDS refused and someone got fired. I think both sides overreacted a bit. They could have put whatever they were going to do online and just printed a puff piece and maybe have secured funding for a couple years or something.
It's an ugly situation.