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House Budget Plan Could Help Save SIU Student Paper

  Southern Illinois University Carbondale's financially-struggling student newspaper would get an infusion of cash under newly introduced legislation.

A spending measure filed in the Illinois House would give The Daily Eqyptian 70-thousand dollars.

The paper had asked for a nine-dollar-per-semester student fee, but the SIU Board of Trustees has not given approval.

The Daily Egyptian's faculty adviser, Eric Fidler says he's still hopeful that will happen this summer. But he says the 70 thousand dollars would be a buffer.

Fidler says the paper is an important training ground for student journalists.

"It's also important to the people in the community," Fidler says. "The D.E. flies off the racks out in town. It's not just read on campus, it's read just as much off campus. It's a free sources of news and information for people."

But Fidler says like other newspapers, the Daily Egyptian is struggling with a drop in ad revenue. He says the student fee could raise upwards of 200-thousand dollars a year. He says it's necessary for the paper's long term stability.

SIU's new president, Randy Dunn, has said he will not let the paper go under on his watch.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
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