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Newsroom Editing Instructions

The Newsroom is a new and dynamic way to highlight faculty achievements and showcase Pepperdine to our target audience.


Best Practices


  • Content should be updated on a daily basis, if possible
  • Featured News items should be rotated on a weekly basis, at the very least
  • Make sure to review analytics regularly to see what content is resonating most with audience(s)—clicks, unique visits, time on page, etc.
    • If content is not being clicked on, consider removing/replacing
  • Keep article titles as concise as possible
  • Do not copy the article title and use it for the article summary. These should be different. Summary should be no more than 94 characters with spaces.
  • When uploading In the News articles, cut and paste entire article from original publication; but MAKE SURE to cite original publication and link to original URL in byline (e.g. https://newsroom.pepperdine.edu/law/2015/01/dr-gregory-mcneal-discusses-use-drones-news-gathering-893-kpcc) The reason we include entire article and not just a “teaser” is because, many times, the original URL will expire
  • If article seems text heavy, consider adding photo(s) to make it an easier read
  • Make sure image sizes are consistent within an article
    • Max width for photos is 465 pixels
  • If you make a mistake and upload the wrong photo to your article, make sure you go back to the image library and delete the original photo.
  • When saving images or other media, make sure file naming conventions are followed; use lowercase and hyphens only

Adding News Content


Creating a new post


  • Go to newsroom.pepperdine.edu/user and log in with your CAS credentials
  • On the top navigation bar, click Content → Add Content → News
  • Insert 1.) "Title" and 2.) "Subtitle" (if necessary)
    • Do not use quotes in title
    • NOTE: In the News titles should reference news outlet (e.g. Dr. Robert Kaufman on U.S. Response to Sony Hacking | ABC7
  • Insert display (i.e. publish) date & time that you'd like to show up on the article
  • Leave author name field BLANK
  • Select a school for BOTH "school" sections
    • Highlight the designated school in the selection box
    • Check same school on radio button list
  • Select AT LEAST one Category
    • You can select up to 3 that best apply
  • Select News type
    • You can select more than one (e.g. Featured News + Alumni News)
    • Do NOT select all
  • Select Format
    • Is your news an audio clip, video clip, text article, etc.?

Adding article content


  • When copying and pasting text, be sure to paste in "Plain Text" (theplaintext icon icon)
  • Click on Edit Summary
    • Summary must be no more than 94 characters with spaces.
  • Insert article text in body text field
    • You then have to manually go through and bold/italicize/hyperlink/bullet point appropriate text
    • Article title should be set to Heading 2
    • NOTE: Do not include a title in the article body text field if it's the same as the article title inserted above.
  • Subtitle (if applicable) should be set to Heading 3
    • Example: Dr. Karen Martin's Grunion Research - National Geographic
  • Internal headings should be set to Heading 4
  • If you're inserting an accompanying video or audio clip, insert the following text under news title:
    • AUDIO (hyperlink to audio clip)
    • VIEW VIDEO (hyperlink to video clip)
    • Example: Dr. Lee Kats Discusses the Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish | 89.3 KPCC
  • If you're embedding a video, make sure video width is set to 600 pixels and that the still image also links to the clip (example)

Linking text


  • Highlight word(s) you'd like to link
  • Click the link iconicon
  • Paste the link you'd like the text to direct to in the "URL" box
  • NOTE: All external links should open in a new window; all internal (pepperdine.edu) links should open in the same window
  • Click "OK"
  • NOTE: Links from the old Pepperdine site will not work on the new site. Make sure all content you're linking to exists on the new site.

Adding photos to article


  • Place mouse cursor on the text line where you'd like to insert the photo.
  • Max width for photos is 465 pixels
  • Click the picture iconicon
  • Click "Browse Server"
    • If photo is not already on the newsroom server, click "Upload" button in left hand corner
  • Select your image from your desktop or other location
    • Note: Be as descriptive and consistent with photo naming conventions so image files are easy to find
  • Click "upload" then click "insert file"
    • If your photo is already on the server, double click on the image file name
  • A pop-up box will open with a preview of your image
    • Insert the alternative text (the text that will appear when someone scrolls over your image)
    • Leave Width and Height fields blank, but set HSpace to 10, VSpace to 5, and Alignment to Right
    • Click "OK" and the image should appear within your article text.

Adding Tags


  • Check the tags that apply to your news item. DO NOT check all.

Adding a Featured Image


  • The featured image is the image that appears as the article thumbnail
  • This image can be a smaller version of one already included in the article or a different one; make sure the featured image dimensions are:
    • width: 630 px
    • height: 315 px
  • NOTE: If you're uploading a professor's headshot, make sure it's their most recently approved photo. All headshots should be consistent in the newsroom (including crop and scale)
  • Add your alternative text to the text field, if applicable (e.g. Dr. Lee Kats, Prof. Derek Muller, etc.)
  • If you'd like your article to appear in the "Featured News" section on the view all news page, click on Publishing Options → and check Sticky at top of lists (note: doing so will elevate it in Newsroom, but will cause the story to disappear from the University homepage newsfeed, as well as specified school homepage newsfeeds).

Reviewing and submitting


  • Review all text, photo, and category information.
  • Click "Publishing options" at the bottom of the page
  • Under the "Moderation state," select "Needs Review" (if submitting to super editor for review) or "Published"
    • You may also save as a draft if planning to publish at a later date
  • Click "Save"

Scheduling posts


  • To schedule a post for a future date, adjust the date and time options to reflect when you would like the story to appear in Newsroom.