Dear reader, 

Earlier this month, one of the torchbearers of exquisite journalistic practices had its flame extinguished by the very institution it calls home. Indiana University first started with the firing of the Student Media Director Jim Rodenbush after he refused to censor the work of the students to appear more appealing to investors during their Homecoming weekend.  

This wasn’t the end of it. Soon after, the Indiana Daily Student was then barred from publishing any print copies of its newspaper.  

The regression of these First Amendment rights is concerning, not just as a co-editor-in-chief of our university’s newspaper, but as a young journalist navigating the current political climate while trying to honor the same journalistic standards that have guided me since my first article. 

Fortunately for the paper you are currently reading, we are independent from the university, while simultaneously the university supports our best interests by doing what they can to protect our rights.  

Now more than ever, picking up the paper or visiting our website substantiates our existence and reinforces our creditability.  

Thank you.  

The staff at The Recorder and at the IDS put an immense amount of time and effort into the productions you read, and for all that to be taken away puts student journalists across the nation in a very precarious situation.  

With that being said, our reporting will never deviate from the truth, and we will continually seek it out to report it. On behalf of The Recorder, we stand in solidarity with the IDS as they continue to make enormous strides for journalism, posting stories daily on their website amid the deterioration of their rights.  

Participation is key to helping protect our establishment. If you have any suggestions on stories we should be covering, ways we could offer more transparency or ways to better incorporate more of the community, or any question or comment you have, we greatly appreciate it. We are a campus paper so any input that we receive is taken very seriously.  

The paper is intended to be for you.  

Next Wednesday, The Recorder will be hosting a Talk to the Editors discussion where everyone is invited to come to the Student Circle. We’ll be there to answer any questions you may have.  

The events that happened to the IDS isn’t something that will make us shy away from doing the great work. If they are still moving forward, it would be a disservice to them if we weren’t as well.  

Wonderful wishes, 

Elijah Hernandez 

Co-Editor-In-Chief