Fourteen national press freedom and journalism organizations sent a letter to Indiana University leadership June 3, urging the university to follow through on the report from the IU Media School’s Task Force on Editorial Independence and Sustainability.
The letter comes about a month after the Media School released the task force’s recommendations in a May 1 news announcement. In the announcement, Media School Dean David Tolchinsky acknowledged the task force’s efforts.
“I am grateful to the members of the independent task force for the many hours of work they have dedicated to this effort,” Tolchinsky said. “Student media is foundational to the educational and service mission of The Media School. I look forward to carefully reviewing these recommendations and the community feedback over the coming months.”
Addressed to IU President Pamela Whitten, IU Bloomington Chancellor David Reingold, Interim Provost John Ciorciari, Tolchinsky and Integrated Public Media Executive Director Michael Arnold, the letter calls on IU to publicly commit to a plan for acting on the task force’s recommendations.
These recommendations included protections for editorial independence, student representation in governance and a funding structure that “cannot be used to influence or punisheditorial coverage.”
The letter was signed by the Student Press Law Center, the Associated Collegiate Press, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Society of Professional Journalists, PEN America, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, among others.
The task force was established last October following backlash over IU cutting the Indiana Daily Student’s print newspaper. It proposed a shared governance structure for the IDS, WIUX and IU Student Television, as well as a Student Media Advisory Board made up of the Media School dean, faculty and media professionals.
The task force also outlined options for long-term financial sustainability, including a proposed $5 million philanthropic endowment and an Innovation Fund for student-led media projects.
In the letter, the organizations praised the task force’s work and its inclusion of student leaders but made it clear that the process now relies on IU’s response. The letter quoted former IDS co-editors-in-chief Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller.
“The IDS has made good-faith efforts to find a solution with the university. Now, the ball is in its court,” Hilkowitz and Miller wrote in a letter May 7.
IU did not provide further comment regarding the letter and referred to Tolchinsky’s statement.
