What do you think of the Graphic? We posed this question recently in focus groups involving 38 Seaver College students selected to represent differing grade levels majors and living arrangements. Twelve students from Ken Waters’ Public Affairs Reporting class conducted the groups from Jan. 20 to Jan. 25. A summary of kudos critiques and suggestions are listed below.
Tell us what you think – it is not too late – just e-mail us at graphic@pepperdine.edu
What you read:
? Graphic readers are diverse – some prefer sports some arts. Most look at the front page. Others look at the opinion section.? You are more likely to read a story when someone you know is featured in the Graphic.? You like stories about students especially athletes and Public Safety reports and news from students overseas.? You read stories that cover good affordable restaurants and fun places to go on the weekends.? You like coverage of controversial issues.? You prefer to read coverage about campus more than stories about Malibu unless they affect students.? In the past you have read the JuicyCampus stories and the recent “There is No God” story. ? One person said they liked the “sports articles – they are brutal but honest.” Others liked the series on hiking or social justice stories.
What the Graphic could benefit from:
? More Pepperdine related stories that integrate world events with the lives of students.? More opinion pieces and ones that back up their claims with facts and reason.? Less focus on communication majors writing about communication majors; better representation of the diversity on campus.? Better writing and editing; less editing of opinion stories; more factual information.? More stories about science majors and their research.? More edgy writing and more controversial stories.? Shorter movie and art reviews and more of them.? Fewer stories about alumni; more stories about current students and professors.? Restoration of reader’s trust in the Graphic’s integrity.? Easy to find distribution locations.
Comment heard most often:
? Oh the Graphic is online? Where? (http://www.pepperdine-graphic.com)
Our Response:
We thank you for your input thus far. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you feel the Graphic can be improved – we will always listen! That is our commitment to you.
The Graphic staff is consistently seeking to improve the newspaper so every comment we receive from the student body is appreciated. From “Letters to the Editor” to simple suggestions we welcome all comments and criticism in order to construct the best newspaper possible.
We are already incorporating these suggestions:?We have recreated a distribution list in order to make the newspaper more accessible to students and faculty; we are working around the clock to hold our writers more accountable to their writing and fact checking; and we created new positions to help give us more time to focus on the quality of content and design.
We work hard to please our readers and while we endeavor to improve the paper every week we would like you to keep reading and encourage others to pick up the paper every Thursday.
Without our readers there is no student newspaper and a college campus without a student newspaper is certainly a travesty. After all this is a newspaper of the students by the students and for the students.