By Michael Leppert
The Indiana Citizen
June 11, 2025
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.”
According to ThoughtCo.com, the term is often attributed to British politician Edmund Burke, who died in 1797. Thomas Carlyle, in “Heroes and Hero-Worship in History,” wrote: “Burke said that there were three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important far than them all.”
The free press is the only industry of any kind specifically protected by the U.S. Constitution. I have often cringed at the thought of what America would be without that foundational protection of the First Amendment. With hostility growing toward journalism and journalists throughout our institutional cultures, I now cringe at what America will become.
Truth telling can be difficult, especially for those not conditioned for it. Sadly, receiving the truth has now become difficult too. The assault on facts has grown slowly in recent years, culminating in a populace that doubts every report that is uncomfortable or inconvenient to its preferred version of reality.
The fiction writer in me wants my audience to ponder these questions. When universities fear the truth-telling work of student journalists, why is that? When law enforcement of any kind in America is shooting journalists at a protest without any legitimate justification, why is that? More importantly, where does it all lead?
Ironically, about the same time Purdue was pulling support from the student newspaper, U.S. Senators were celebrating the 39th anniversary of C-SPAN 2, which is part of the C-SPAN network founded by Purdue University graduate Brian Lamb. In fact, the university honored its alumnus’ work to make government more accessible by permanently affixing his name to the campus with the Brian Lamb School of Communication.
Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, joined his Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution that urged all television providers, including streaming services, to carry C-SPAN.
Good. However, it does inspire a good list of broad questions for the senator about the health and future of our Fourth Estate.
Back to my books. I write historical drama, which for me means that I take settings that actually existed, blend them with events that have actually occurred, and then create a story that could have, but didn’t actually happen.
Why would I do that? Because I want to ask my audience to think about possibilities. Specific and meaningful possibilities.
What will America look like if, or when, the First Amendment no longer exists? The answer is scarier than telling the truth.
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.
