SEPT 24–29 IUauditorium.com
IDS Thursday, September 19, 2024
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
INSIDE
PHOTOS: IU FOOTBALL DEFEATS UCLA
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS:
Why print still matters in the digital age The IDS’ weekly print issue is award-winning, profitable and essential for the community.
The morning after faculty voted no confidence in IU President Pamela Whitten in April, a Bloomington resident without internet access left us a voicemail. He wanted to know the results of the vote, so one of our reporters called him back and delivered the news over the phone. He had one more request — did we have any articles about the county council and county commissioner races so he could determine who to vote for in the primary election? Again, one of our reporters delivered the news to him personally, this time dropping the printed articles off at his home. Anecdotes like these reaffirm the IDS’ role in providing important news to our community and demonstrate why the print newspaper is a critical piece of this mission. Just a few decades ago, you could find newspaper boxes for multiple outlets across the city. One by one, these have fallen away, leaving just the IDS’ weekly edition in terms of free, widely accessible newspapers. We are always aware of a potential future where print is cut, particularly now that the Media School is developing a plan for the IDS’ financial future — one we’re still in the dark about. Though the conventional wisdom behind print cuts is that it saves costs, the unintended
consequences of such a decision would harm students, the community and the longterm sustainability of the IDS. Print production at the IDS went from five days a week to two in 2017. In 2020, print was reduced to just one day a week. This past summer, the print paper was only produced once a month. The IDS is one of many professional organizations to cut print productions to combat growing financial burdens within the last few decades. Yet each print cut has been followed by a decrease in our overall page views and revenue, while the issue of the IDS’ finances remains. For the IDS, our weekly print editions have proven to be profitable. Revenue from our display ads, posters and health and religious directories — which will all disappear if print goes away — totaled $92,546 in fiscal year 2024. Our yearly printing and circulation costs for the weekly edition were $65,305 — even after we factor in our student page designers’ wages, we end up bringing in an annual profit. Beyond our revenue, the nationwide trend toward cutting print harms students. Many professional newspapers still print, which means students interested in page design need weekly opportunities like we have at the IDS. This opportunity is a good one, too — this September,
the Associated Collegiate Press announced the IDS’ print newspaper as a nominee for the Pacemaker award for the 32nd time in the ACP’s history. The IDS has won the award 24 times, making it the second most award-winning print publication in the history of the ACP award. Some designers who previously worked
for the IDS now design print pages for Gannett or the New York Times. Cutting print will mean taking away an essential opportunity for students — would those designers have seized those positions if not for their early experience in designing a print product at the IDS?
As long as print still exists in the industry, and as long as IU still strives to provide a top-notch journalism education, it must continue to exist here at the Media School. A Bloomington full of e mp t y
IDS stands would be haunting. It would be the end of an era for the IDS, which has provided the newspaper for free since 1995 as other outlets rely increasingly on paywalls. SEE LETTER, PAGE 4
JACOB SPUDICH | IDS
An IDS newspaper stand is pictured in front of the Monroe County Courthouse on Sept. 18, 2024, at the corner of East Kirkwood Avenue and North Walnut Street in Bloomington. The IDS' weekly print edition has proven to bring in an annual profit for the newspaper.
Whitten to receive $175,500 bonus County issues
burn ban
By Isaac Perlich nelsonnb@iu.edu
IU President Pamela Whitten received a $175,500 bonus from the IU Board of Trustees Sept. 13. Cathy Langham, who has served on the board since 2022, recommended the bonus, which passed with a vote of six to two, according to the Indianapolis Star. Whitten’s annual base salary is $650,000, according to her contract, which runs through June 2026. The IU Board of Trustees gave her a $162,500 bonus in August 2023. The approval was the final item of the meeting’s agenda. Whitten has led IU since 2021, when she was inaugurated as IU’s 19th and first female president. She was selected despite not being named among the finalists during the search process. She received a bachelor’s degree in management from Tulane University, a master’s degree in communication from the University of Kentucky and a doctoral degree in communication studies from the University of Kansas.
By Natalia Nelson nelsonnb@iu.edu
IDS FILE PHOTO
IU President Pamela Whitten walks to the stage during undergraduate commencement May 4, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. SEE WHITTEN, PAGE 4 Whitten received a $175,500 bonus from the IU Board of Trustees Sept. 13.
Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast
Recent dry weather conditions in Monroe County have prompted a burn ban due to elevated fire danger risks. The ban prohibits residents from open burning using conventional fuels except while grilling with propane or charcoal if it’s removed after it has stopped burning. It also disallows using campfires and recreational fires without a fire ring 23 inches in diameter and 10 inches tall, burning debris such as vegetation, and using burn barrels unless they have a ¼ inch mesh top and are used from dawn until dusk. Bloomington has not seen rain for the past few weeks, and daily temperature highs have mostly fallen in the 80s and upper 70s. Thirty-seven counties in Indiana are reporting active burn bans, mostly across the southern part of the state. The ban will end Sept. 24 unless further ordered by the Monroe County Board of Commissioners.
SOURCE: THE WEATHER CHANNEL GRAPHICS BY: ALAYNA WILKENING
Thursday Sept. 19
Friday Sept. 20
Saturday Sept. 21
Sunday Sept. 22
Monday Sept. 23
Tuesday Sept. 24
Wednesday Sept. 25
90° 61° P: 6%
91° 66° P: 6%
90° 65°
83° 64° P: 24%
83° 59° P: 60%
79° 56° P: 56%
77° 55° P: 52%
P: 13%