Media School Dean announces Task Force on Editorial Independence and Financial Sustainability of the IDS and Student Media
Indiana University Media School Dean Dave Tolchinsky announced today the formation of a Task Force on the Editorial Independence and Financial Sustainability of the Indiana Daily Student (IDS)/Student Media. The new initiative will bring together faculty, staff, students, and alumni to develop recommendations ensuring both the editorial independence and financial sustainability of student media at IU.
The task force, to be appointed in the coming weeks, will build on prior work—including the 2024 ad hoc committee’s “Proposal for Reimagining and Reinvesting in Student Media at IU.” Its charge will extend beyond that report to develop recommendations on the intersection of editorial and business operations as IU’s student media organizations progress toward financial sustainability.
“The Media School remains deeply committed to the editorial independence and financial sustainability of student media,” Tolchinsky said. “This task force represents an opportunity to take that commitment even further—by strengthening the foundations that support it.”
Tolchinsky emphasized that a vibrant, independent IDS is essential to the school’s educational mission and to preparing students for an evolving media landscape that includes new platforms, audiences, and business models.
“I’m committed to building trust within our community, which I love so much,” Tolchinsky said. “I am deeply proud of our students and energized by the progress we’ve made, and I look forward to moving ahead together.”
Further details about the composition and timeline of the task force will be announced soon.