The Stakes are High for a 156 Year Old College Newspaper to Keep on Living

The stakes are never higher than for a former company I worked for and then left for the following reasons that I will list throughout this lengthy opinion piece. Keep in mind that I respect student journalism, especially for my friends and colleagues that work for the Indiana Daily Student . On Wednesday, the paper announced throughout my Twitter feed, since 2021, this historic newspaper, now in its 156th year of operation, has no money to possibly continue operations shortly.

When I heard about this, I had mixed emotions about this issue.

Let me not lie to you, the paper always cranks out the best topics for an award-winning paper and my time at the Black Voices section with RJ Crawford was rewarding, and it was fun to be around a group of kids so dedicated to the work of the functioning of this now 156-year-old newspaper, but there is an element between work function and what you read on paper.

My favorite journalistic pieces I have read are from Cate Charron and Emma Uber who, I hope, can carry the newspaper to new heights if it stays open. Charron's work in the investigation of the IU Jacob School of Music sexual assaults that were overlooked by university staff is a must-read for students. Her op-ed to The Herald Times is extraordinary because she is trying to save this paper, in more ways than one. Emma Pawlitz puts out great sports content and is a maverick for female journalists to cover men's basketball as a sophomore of no less. They put on amazing work. The efforts of these journalism work are very demanding, especially given the fact that we as student journalism professionals spend hours in our classes, hours studying, family time, friends time, and cramming for exams, along with covering and working for a tight shift at a college newspaper, while juggling around other activities, and simply reporting on the truth, is the most rewarding thing any student can do because this teamwork teaches us lifelong techniques for the workforce.

There are some positives I can say about the IDS newspaper... but the company has major problems too.

Problems for future staff and members to keep in mind the near future. Some truth needs to be revealed about the problems of this company, but I have learned that others need to form their own opinion on the life of the IDS newspaper and their work experience. I will not overshare too much about my experience with the paper, I already did that with a lot of my colleagues and since I left, I have had to reshape my plans since leaving, but I want to bring awareness to the problems that might be leading the paper to its bitter bankruptcy.

I am in no way, shape, or form criticizing the paper, its staff, or anyone who works for this amazing organization. The staff put in their hours, and clock in with an open head on story ideas and thoughts. Everyone has their own opinion about the paper, and everyone will have a different experience working for the company.

Mine happened to be a bad ordeal, one that got me into poor health, poor habits, and poor circumstances, leading to my eventual revival this fall after finishing up my time at Ivy Tech Community College and since I have left the big media organizations as of today, I would like to share my experience, whether you agree or disagree, about why I believe the IDS can and might not survive

The first time I ever heard of the Indiana Daily Student was in 2013 as a young fifth grader at University Elementary School in Bloomington, Ind. Coming off of her days at the Bloomington South Optimist newspaper and transitioning to the IDS that fall, Hannah Alani spoke in front of my fifth-grade class after I tried to convince my teacher for months, repeatedly to start a class newspaper.

I was so attracted to journalism that leaves me years later wanting to cry due to the "chew you up and spit you out" nature of the journalism business. I wanted to be a journalist, plain and simple from fifth grade on to my high school years, and at the time Alani spoke to our class, convinced by her mother to do so, I was sold on the idea of working for a newspaper company or even owning one shortly.

Alumni who cherished the paper like Alani can somewhat keep the paper alive, but if you put into consideration the manpower that is necessary to save a newspaper in 2023, with the state of journalism, it must take big donors to keep the art of print journalism alive, not just the IDS, and as I will explain throughout this article, I have hope but not a lot of it, and then I will explain how the paper can be saved.

At Vincennes University in the fall of 2020, I was sold on the idea of becoming a news anchor and thought my life was set... until I had some growing up to do. A... lot of growing up to do.

I walked into the IDS office in January 2022, and I spent a month on the staff of the Black Voices section. The first question that came out of Mrs. Ruth's mouth was if I wrote a story or not, and I came in with an open mind. To bring a trophy back to the people of the IDS, and to one day bring them a Peabody Award, but I was also a transfer student and had never written an article in my life for the newspaper. With no understanding or clear-minded thinking whatsoever, she viewed me as a worker with employment papers and not someone new. I left a little shaken until I started doing meetings and being harrassed so to speak every day by our section editors, and if one was not enough, we had meetings and deadlines to follow every day and every week. Sure, this is typical to many corporate workforces, but this was different.

Every day I got phone calls through every minute of the day where the job was supposed to take over my life, and every time that I didn't want this to happen, my health got worse. Fast. So fast that after I contracted a severe case of the omicron variant of COVID-19, my time working for the IDS became ever more apparent to where I had to leave as my health issues began to take over my central nervous system and attack it due to the stress of the job.

What I was in for was dealing with a group of staff that did not care about ideas or ideals. Berayding me with phone call after phone call, to the point where I could not think or feel any emotions. Even to spend time with my family or deal with my disabilities. The job brought up past issues, trauma, and emotions because of the level of negative malice on the management side I had to deal with, and for someone that wants to become a business owner, you are somewhat controlled and owned by the IDS from the moment you sign up to work for the company. You take a risk and some people like myself, have to leave because of the toxic work environment.

And with inflation or if you're poor being a factor, the fact they promote the company as a freelance company with pay so low that you can't even buy gas, groceries, or even a pizza, is one factor as to how the paper is in its dire state. The pay is low, but some get used to it, and it's more for the recognition of the paper than the pay because if you're young, experience is key to getting a job, but jobs look for those who are qualified in more than just experience.

It's also about being book smart and street smart, working with clients, and recovering emails while also being able to work in the workforce is key to keeping a job. It's not all about the experience.

On the week of IU's win over the Purdue Boilermakers on January 20, 2022, I tested positive for COVID-19 the next day. If it wasn't for COVID, I would have never left the IDS. I would have stayed for another month and then left, but I chose to leave two weeks after being so sick in a nearly hospitalized situation. I told my boss that I had bipolar disorder and could not handle the job. I didn't even write my last story, as soon as I could quit... I quit.

I took a lot of heat after leaving the IDS as eventually WIUX, Daily Hoosier, IUSTV, and even the Hoosier Network did not work out, as I have left every media organization on campus as of March 1, 2023.

Now I'm on the road to recovering from my illness, and as of today, I feel a whole lot better living at home with no work compared to living on campus and doing work. It was a win that I was later medically dismissed from IU, but I have learned through treatment with PTSD and bipolar that it's important to recognize that the world is a cruel place, and people have to find their way through traffic. Just stay in your lane.

Everyone has a different experience of working for the paper, and what I have learned was that some people enjoy it and others work for the Herald Times. Everyone has a different way of thinking, but I know of one thing we can all unite on is that the IDS is in trouble and saving the paper with the right support, help, and university recognition will keep the paper on the IU campus for years to come. It will take a lot more than donations to save the future of the paper, and I hope it stays for poor and low-income students to read for free for years to come because I can't afford the Herald Times paper every week.

Another factor as to how the paper might be falling apart is a lack of technological innovation since the pandemic hit, and thirdly, the level of support and respect for American journalism across this country is dwindling by the minute.

Everyone will trust Joe Rogan but not the county newspaper.

The IDS has fallen into a pit of journalism agencies, such as VICE News that went away from topics people could read to topic people might not acknowledge. This is not just a VICE News, IDS think this is again a journalism thing because what kind of ten-year-old, eighteen-year-old, or 24-year-old do you think is going to for weather updates as they happen, with alerts and updates on severe outbreaks in their area? YouTuber Ryan Hall Y'all or the Channel 10 weatherman with a certified license from the American Meteorological Society?

Many would pick Ryan for his innovative videography, as he hires small-town YouTubers to grow and expand while also giving aid to the poor and needy. So what kind of weatherman can administer aid to hurricane survivors off the coast of Palm Beach?

The journalism industry runs by an old model of traditional fact-oriented work and for students, professors make you think that you will work in a newsroom, a radio station, or do an internship after an internship, talent agency after talent agency, and work in a small town such as Farmersburg, Ind. to get your start in this industry and grow from there.

We have gone a long way to thinking this because everything is digital, people don't subscribe to read the physical newspaper. I have learned how to grow my image online and I don't need help to talk about a sports team's historic rise to fame when I could post a YouTube video about it.

The IDS has fallen wind to the downfalls of the digital age, but if I could share the idea of what to do, I would say, go 100% digital, pay your workers up to a living wage, and treat the job as being a writer as a real business. Also, accept past alumni like Alani and to the millions of writers who came before you and give them a slice of the 156-year-old birthday cake by gaining a good reputation.

As for WIUX and Indiana University Student Television , the gaps in the COVID-19 mask-wearing and social distancing have changed their public programming dramatically. New graphics, software, and even a new studio are all included to grow their brand. Some of it is not the IDS' fault, this woke political agenda/divisions IU has had with both the graduate student worker payments vs. President Pamela Witten, and now the IDS vs. the building where her office is has divided Indiana University, and leaving crippled organizations such as the IDS to become more crippled.

Part of me wants to see the IDS grow, and part of me hopes the clubs and organizations on campus can and will allow for pay, especially for those working in sports and news. Part of me also despises what IU has become as a corporation. Increasing my distrust in Pamela Witten because she has done more harm than good.

All I have to say is that the IDS has a lot to repair, but it doesn't mean that it's left in the dark. We can save the paper, all of us can, alumni, students, staff, and writers. Without journalists, we would only allow cruelty and our leaders in charge who need to be held responsible to continue wrecking the embodiment of a government and a corporation.

It's time to hold our leaders to the flame and gain the trust back in the IDS by doing the things I have said in this article.

I am writing this to the people I made fun of and hurt, as I am sorry to have downgraded the organization and all other organizations on campus. I have paid a lot of dues since being dismissed and am still recovering forging my path. The world is cruel and unforgiving so when you leave the IDS, accept to be recovering a bit after working on the paper, and take a break before finding future employment after graduation.

If you would like to donate go to idsnews.com.