Our Role as Printers and Editors

By Ryan Marhoefer

Many of our readers may be asking themselves why a couple of strapping young lads decided to make a new student newspaper for Chapman University. A better question to ask is: “Why hasn’t anybody done it yet?” Chapman is sorely lacking in quality journalism. If one were to pick up a random issue of The Panther Newspaper, pretentious political pontificating with predictable platitudes is sure to be found without much effort. It really just grows burdensome for us individuals who want to love The Panther, but they just keep making it so damn hard! So, we decided to publish The Hesperian in all the ways that The Panther is not. 

Firstly, The Panther Newspaper is published by authority. It is subject to the stranglehold of its superiors in the Chapman University administration. It is the university that ultimately decides whether or not to fund the flailing newspaper. On the other hand, The Hesperian is entirely independent. We are NOT published by authority. We are a publication that will not be corrupted by threats of reduced funds nor offers of favors done by the administration.

Secondly, the purpose of a university is to create an atmosphere of open expression and intellectual inquiry. While The Panther may only publish ideas from the left to the far left (what they view as a diverse spectrum of ideas), The Hesperian will be in the business of publishing all ideas. The jobs of printers are not to act as vehicles of propaganda, rather to provide a platform for which all people can express all differing opinions. Unlike The Panther, who has refused nearly every student’s op-ed with a right-of-center viewpoint, we refuse to sacrifice the virtue of free expression for any and all students, faculty, and community members. 

Thirdly, It is not just professors who influence the views of students. The opinions of our brainwashed peers at The Panther invariably play a significant role in shaping the perceptions of the student body as well as the surrounding community. The Panther obviously has an agenda to use our tution to spew leftist and hateful propaganda. In stark contrast, The Hesperian is not in the business of being propagandic. We want to foster healthy discourse between all viewpoints. Period.

Fourthly, The Hesperian will not stand for libel. The Panther Newspaper has tried to deprecate students, demean faculty, defame the university, and demonize huge groups of Americans. They have tried to leverage their platform to destroy lives. It’s irresponsible and wrong. The Hesperian refuses to stoop so low.

Benjamin Franklin, the greatest printer of them all, once eloquently wrote, “Printers are educated in the belief that when men and women differ in opinion, both sides ought equally to have the advantage of being heard by the public; and when Truth and Error have fair play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter.” The Hesperian is, above all, devoted to two things: 1) Publishing high-quality articles free of zealotry and whining, and 2) A source and platform for all viewpoints. If you love us, then please contribute. If you hate us, then please contribute. If you’re indifferent, well, we just hope you enjoy the show.

Ryan Marhoefer is a senior business student at Chapman University. He is the co-founder and co-editor of The Hesperian. Yes, he is graduating this Spring, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.