Letter from the editor

For several years now, we’ve published David Horowitz Freedom Center advertisements in the print edition of The Daily Pennsylvanian. With each Horowitz ad we’ve received and published, the campus response has shifted from denouncing the Horowitz Center to wondering why the DP continued to publish these advertisements year after year, when such a vocal part of campus disapproved of them.

The DP’s executive board decided on Friday that we will no longer publish advertisements from the David Horowitz Freedom Center. We’ve also set stricter policies to consider other advertisements more holistically. Any advertisements deemed questionable will be discussed by our executive board before making a decision to publish.

Most of you are already aware that we do not endorse any advertisements that are printed, nor do we endorse their message. Our advertisement space is intended to host paid, outside and usually opinion-oriented content — from a message as harmless as claiming to be the best pizza place on campus to one as serious and political as an ad that includes the phrase “Faces of Islamic Apartheid.”

We do our best to balance between being a free outlet for all opinions and serving our community by ensuring the newspaper is a place where our readers feel comfortable expressing their beliefs.

As a fellow student, I’ve been grateful for how diplomatic student leaders from the Muslim Student Association and PRISM have been when they approached us with their concerns. This advertisement hit hard, but the last intention we have is to insult or offend our fellow classmates.

We’re glad you stood up and spoke out and, as always, we hope you’ll continue to do so in the future.

Jennifer Sun is the executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.