If a stu­dent news­pa­per has restric­tions on adver­tis­ing tobacco or smok­ing prod­ucts, what do you do with a hookah bar? Is that the same thing or some­thing totally different?

I must admit, I’ve never entered a hookah bar. I don’t know what they’re all about. I just won­der how they fit into the equa­tion and what stu­dent news­pa­pers are doing about ads from places like hookah bars.

Does the need for increased ad rev­enue in tough eco­nomic times out­weigh the moral stan­dards the paper would like to uphold? Does the econ­omy make it nec­es­sary for stu­dent papers to review and maybe change old adver­tis­ing reg­u­la­tions to help increase rev­enue, regard­ing things like alco­hol and tobacco? Real­ity is these com­pa­nies are often get­ting rich off the money from stu­dents on your cam­pus; why not get some money from those wealthy companies?