Several departments, professors and students have contacted The Graphic and have expressed confusion about a possible new campus publication, The Pepperdine Review. The editors and reporters of The Graphic want to clear up this confusion to ensure that our reputation and credibility are not adversely affected.
The Graphic, the officially sanctioned student newspaper of Pepperdine University, is run by Pepperdine University Student Publications and Journalism Department, part of Seaver College’s Communication Division.
For clarity’s sake, we want the Pepperdine community to know that The Pepperdine Review is in no way associated with The Graphic or Pepperdine University Student Publications. The Pepperdine Review is a conservative publication partially funded by the Collegiate Network, “the Home of Conservative College Journalism.”
Such a publication is considered advocacy journalism. Advocacy journalism violates ethical tenets in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics and the Associated Collegiate Press Model Code of Ethics for Collegiate Journalists, both of which The Graphic subscribes. The news pages of The Graphic are neither “Democrat” nor “Republican,” “conservative” nor “liberal.” We always seek to present an objective report in our student newspaper. We restrict opinion articles to the opinion section, and keep news on the news pages.
As far as The Graphic knows, The Pepperdine Review is not yet sanctioned by the university. Questions about the status of the Pepperdine Review should be directed to Campus Life and the Seaver Dean of Students Office at ext. 4201.
March 28, 2002