Purdue's breakup with its student paper feels like a gun shot

I am working on publishing a new book this year. So, I'm spending time with other writers, readers, editors and consultants to make sure the finished product is as good as it can be. While online the other day, an editor wrote: "The purpose of fiction is to ask the audience questions to consider; the purpose of non-fiction, is to give them answers." I assumed that was a famous quote, because it's so wonderful, but I can't find its originator for attribution. "Who said that?" is a question in need of an answer. I don't ever seem to run out of questions, and neither does humanity. Answers, on the other hand, are scarce and precious. We should treat them that way. As reported by the Indianapolis Star on June 5th, "Purdue University announced it will no longer help distribute its student newspaper on campus — one of a handful (of) decisions distancing itself from the independent student publication." The Purdue Exponent has been a vital news publication during my 30-year career in the Indiana media space. The student newspaper is 135-years-old and has been invaluable to students, the Purdue community and to the state for the entirety of that time. This decision by Purdue follows similar moves made by Indiana University in 2024 directed toward its student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. A particularly curious part of the Purdue announcement is the instruction that the newspaper "should" omit the use of "Purdue" in its name moving forward, even though the publication has the name trademarked until 2029. Expansive explanations for this kind of hostility toward the paper have not been provided yet, but questions about that specifically are things we all should ponder. On June 8th, Lauren Tomasi, a correspondent for 9News of Australia was shot by a rubber bullet while covering the Los Angeles protests. The video of the incident can be seen here. On the same day in LA, British photojournalist, Nick Stern was also struck by "non-lethal" rounds fired by law enforcement. He said in an interview with The Guardian, "I'm walking around taking photos…walking across the road when I felt a mighty pain in my leg. I put my hand down and felt a lump kind of sticking out the back of my leg." He is currently recovering from surgery that was necessary to treat his injury.  Questions abound. Here, in the once shiny city on the hill known as America, our institutions of authority are turning on our nation's "Fourth Estate."   Connect with Michael Leppert Visit michaelleppert.com to read the full post and links to any resources or articles mentioned. Twitter @michaelleppert  Facebook at Michael Leppert Michael Leppert is an author, educator and a communication consultant in Indianapolis. He writes about government, politics and culture at MichaelLeppert.com. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Indiana Citizen or any other affiliated organization.