Roxanne Pena
Staff Writer
Students living in the “Pepperdine bubble” often find themselves unaware of news from the outside world.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” said freshman Laura Lundin. Because she lacks access to either a TV or daily paper, Lundin says she is less aware of the news than she was before starting at Pepperdine.
Freshman Kelly Small has found herself in a similar situation. “I haven’t heard [any news]…until a couple days ago.”
The news she read came from joining “Because You Should Know,” a group on Facebook created by Zachary Hoogendyk on Oct. 2. The group description states, “This group is dedicated to bringing news to people who just don’t have time.” By posting news stories to the message board, Hoogendyk hopes to keep our generation more informed. Two days after its creation, the group has over 180 members from schools across the country.
Other students, such as junior Abby Hassell, have found their own ways to beak through the bubble. “I feel fairly informed,” Hassell said, adding she reads news stories from AIM when she signs on.
Those who are still looking for an easily accessible news source may be surprised to hear that though Malibu is a relatively small city, there are multiple news sites specifically for the area, some covering international news as well. These sites include Malibu Times, PCH Press, Malibu Surfside News, and The Graphic Online.
Malibu Times
“[The Malibu Times is] a small operation with a big heart,” said Jonathan Freedman, assistant editor of the Malibu Times. The site has been online since 1998. Every newspaper story is uploaded online and saved in the archives. All stories from Malibu Times Magazine, started in 2003, are uploaded as well, though only the most recent issues are available.
“[We try not to] just make [the news] for the people intimately following politics,” Freedman said, recognizing the fact that not everyone attends city council meetings.
Major news stories that fall in-between the publication of the magazine or paper are added to the site under the “Malibu News Flash” feature. Subscribers are then sent an e-mail whenever News Flashes are added, an event that occurs a few times a month.
The staff members may currently be dealing with site problems, as following the News Flash link on the right side of the front page currently leads to a blank page. It takes further searching to find instructions to subscribe: Send an e-mail to jf@malibutimes.com with “Malibu News Flash” in the subject line.
According to Freedman, another popular site feature is the Calendar, which lists upcoming local events and activities.
PCH Press
PCH Press, “Malibu’s Only Daily News,” is the newest of the four sites, started on Jan. 27 of this year by Kriss Perras, editor. Perras, who has been involved in journalism for the past 10 years, considered writing for the Malibu Times, but the position didn’t offer enough money. Instead she started PCH Press, and makes profit from the advertisements.
Normally updated daily, this may be the best site to check for the latest stories.
Unlike the other sites, PCH Press does not have a print publication. “[Research showed] print subscriptions are down significantly,” said Perras. “People prefer to get it for free on the web….It doesn’t make sense to invest financially.”
The stories reported are both local and national, which is reflected in PCH Press’ readership. A significant portion, 40 percent, of readers is national or international, the remaining 60 percent consisting of locals.
Coming soon to the site are links to independent radio sources. PCH Press is also looking into radio shows of their own. Other site areas include surfing news, book reviews and suggestions, and a section on wine and a list of art gallery openings.
Malibu Surfside News
The website for Malibu Surfside News, “Malibu’s Community Forum and Marketplace,” contains a news Web blog, and an online version of their weekly paper.
The news blog, started on Aug. 28, is usually updated near the end of the week with a few new entries. Nearly all entries are local news stories.
New issues of Malibu Surfside News are released every Thursday, and the online paper can be downloaded in a PDF format. According to the website, “The Internet edition includes selected pages from the current issue of the news.” Once downloaded, the reader can scroll through the twenty-plus pages of content on his computer – not the easiest option for someone wanting a quick update.
The Graphic Online
The Graphic Online is the web version of Pepperdine’s student run newspaper. The new edition of the paper is released on Thursday, and David Tesic, online editor for the Graphic, attempts to have the site updated by noon that day. All stories from the paper are on the site, as well as five to 10 stories that are exclusive to the online edition.
The majority of the news is about Pepperdine or local stories, but many of the columns or articles only found online deal more with off campus issues.
Besides students, The Graphic Online’s audience consists of faculty, parents of students, alumni, and some community members. For many on campus, The Graphic is their main source of news.
A new format for the site is coming soon. “Hopefully [it] will be more attractive to people that aren’t a part of the school,” Tesic said.
Though the site has a video section, the new video on Sept. 28 came after a full year of no updates. Tesic said The Graphic is currently looking for someone to fill the position of video editor. Ideally, the videos would be updated twice a week, correlating with the student run broadcast news.
10-13-2006