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Cedarville's student newspaper won’t publish

Editors of Cedars say they’ll stop publishing rather than allow university censorship.

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By Kelly Mori, Staff Writer 9:43 PM Monday, April 27, 2009

Editors of Cedars, Cedarville University’s student newspaper, have decided to stop publishing rather than succumb to the university’s continued attempt to censor their stories.

Shortly after its faculty adviser of 10 years resigned in protest over the university’s request that the paper’s last issue this school year not contain anything “that would be a distraction to the trustees,” the editors announced they will not proceed with the publication.

“The public relations department, directed by university trustees and some administrative officials, now reviews, approves, censors and cuts the content of your student newspaper,” the Cedars staff wrote in a campus-wide letter. “We grieve the loss of free expression and healthy discourse once found in your newspaper, traits that ought to characterize all vibrant institutions of higher learning.”

University spokesman John Davis said that “for some time, there had been a strong, broad concern that (the paper) wasn’t being consistent with Cedarville’s mission, reflecting who we are as a community. There were problems with articles that did not necessarily reflect biblical truth, what the Bible has to say about an issue.”

Controversial articles included a writer’s criticism of the school’s modesty board, and a debate over Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Matters came to a head when school officials asked Scott Calhoun, associate professor of English and faculty adviser, to ensure that the paper’s final issue not contain controversies.

The request was “at odds with classic journalism,” Calhoun said.

“A student newspaper is not to represent public relations concerns,” said the Cedars News Editor Mike Shirzadian. “A student newspaper is supposed to push people politically, economically, culturally (and) theologically.”

Shirzadian expect there will be an underground newspaper next year.

“Secular universities will say ‘we have to devote ourselves to the pursuit of truth,’” Shirzadian said. “I think (as a Christian university) we have a moral obligation to pursue the truth.”

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