Indiana’s newly elected lieutenant governor, Micah Beckwith, has initiated controversy after a pointed social media post criticizing Indiana University’s student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student (IDS). In the post on X, Beckwith labeled the IDS’s front-page coverage of former President Donald Trump as “elitist leftist propaganda,” warning it “needs to stop, or we will be happy to stop it for them.”
Marissa Meador addresses questions about the IDS centered around Beckwith’s comments.
Beckwith identifies as a “Christian Nationalist,” and has expressed concerns regarding the condition of public universities such as IU. He argues that conservative perspectives are frequently marginalized and asserts that “indoctrination reigns supreme.” At Indiana University, his tweet connects with the role of the Indiana Daily Student (IDS), the university’s student-run newspaper.
Although the IDS runs from a building owned by IU and pays a tax to the university, it does not receive direct funding from IU. This highlights the newspaper’s financial and editorial independence from the university’s administration. IU has stressed this autonomy, stating, “The Indiana Daily Student is editorially independent from Indiana University.”
An explanation from the Co-Editor-In-Chief about the front cover of the controversial newspaper.
In response, the IDS editor, Marissa Meador also shared her perspective on the controversy. “Our main concern with his comments is that he seemed to indicate that he would use his position as lieutenant governor to try and control what we publish, which he’s not allowed to do that under the first amendment, but it certainly is concerning that he thinks that he could or that he would try to,” said Meador. Her remarks reflect broader challenges that student media face in addressing issues of free speech, editorial independence, and external criticism.
