 | |
 Campus Reform homepage in April 2017 | |
| Type | Online publication |
|---|---|
| Format | Online |
| Owner | Leadership Institute |
| President | Morton Blackwell[1] |
| Editor-in-chief | Celine Ryan Ciccio[2] |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia |
| Website | campusreform |
Campus Reform is an Americanconservativenews website focused onhigher education. It is operated by theLeadership Institute. It uses students as reporters. The news site is known for conservative journalism, where it reports incidents ofliberalbias and restrictions onfree speech on American college campuses.[1] The online publication maintains running list of "victories"—ranging from college policy changes to firings—on a dry-erase board at the website'sArlington, Virginia, headquarters inside the Leadership Institute.[1]
In September 2015,Campus Reform said its website had received 9.3 million page views in the past year.[1]
In May 2012,Campus Reform called on conservative students to protest liberal speakers on campus such asSupreme Court JusticeSonia Sotomayor.[2]
In September 2015,Campus Reform was first to report that David W. Guth, aUniversity of Kansas associate professor of journalism, had tweeted: "The blood is on the hands of the #NRA. Next time let it be YOUR sons and daughters", in reaction to theWashington Navy Yard shooting days before. The university was deluged by complaints, and the university put Guth on temporary leave with pay.[3]
In June 2017, aCampus Reform story headlined "Prof: 'white marble' in artwork contributes towhite supremacy" reported on comments byUniversity of Iowa classics professor Sarah Bond writing an article about white marble statues that read in part: "really sick ofalt-right groups appropriating classical antiquities for nefarious reasons."[4] Other conservative outlets such asHeat Street andNational Review began citing thatCampus Reform story, and Bond began receiving death threats within days.[4]
Most important, in its view, it had scored 15 "victories"—a term it applies to any situation in which a college changes a policy, fires someone, or otherwise responds to concerns raised by the reporting on its site.
The university issued a statement, and the story was posted the next day. "Journalism professor says he hopes for murder of NRA members' children," the headline read. Once the National Rifle Association picked up the story, everything else at the university seemed to stop.