Limestone Ledger

BLOOMINGTON, IN – After weeks of backlash over Indiana University’s decision to discontinue the print edition of the Indiana Daily Student, the university announced Monday that the paper will return to print — under the direct editorial leadership of IU President Pamela Whitten.

Calling the move a bold commitment to journalistic freedom within appropriate administrative boundaries, Whitten will serve as both Editor-in-Chief and Chief Messaging Officer for the student publication, now rebranded as the Indiana Daily Statement.

“We heard the students loud and clear,” Whitten said at a press conference held in front of a newly installed printing press inside Bryan Hall. “They wanted their voice back, and I wanted to make sure I was the one shaping it.”

Under the new model, the IDS newsroom will operate out of the Office of University Communications. Sources confirmed that the staff’s former workspace in Franklin Hall has already been converted into a “Listening Zone” where students may submit story ideas directly into a locked suggestion box monitored by IU’s Office of Narrative Alignment.

Each issue will now undergo a “Truth Calibration Review” before publication, a process university officials described as a light-touch verification ensuring all stories are both factually accurate and emotionally supportive of the administration’s vision.

Whitten dismissed criticism that her new role might compromise journalistic independence.

“On the contrary,” she said. “We’re preserving every student’s right to express themselves, provided it aligns with the university’s core messaging pillars of Excellence, Safety, and Gratitude.”

The first print edition under Whitten’s tenure will feature an exclusive editorial titled “Courage in Correction: How IU’s Reversal Proves It Was Right All Along.” Other stories teased for the debut issue include “Students Celebrate Return of Paper They Can’t Afford to Criticize,” and “Campus Dining Innovates Toward Hunger Flexibility.”

Student journalists expressed mixed reactions.

“I guess it’s better than nothing,” said sophomore reporter Lydia Mahoney, who was reassigned to cover “Positive Campus Morale.” “We used to fact-check the administration. Now we just ask it how it’s feeling.”

The Indiana Daily Statement will hit newsstands next week, printed on IU-branded paper and delivered exclusively to university-approved distribution zones. Subscriptions will include a complimentary “Letter from the President,” now appearing on every page.