UPDATED
The most dangerous time to work at a student newspaper is April 2.
That’s when negative reactions to the April Fools’ edition come down hard on the newspaper staff – and possibly threaten its future.
The student government at the State University of New York-Buffalo State asked The Record to remove its April Fools’ edition – The Wreckard – from racks around campus and even froze its budget, The Record reports.
The front page is still online, and the paper “refused to comply” with the directive to remove print copies, Record editor Jonny Moran told The College Fix.
Executive Vice President Emily Lenninger doesn’t appreciate satire:
“It has come to our attention from many students and faculty members that some of the topics discussed in the ‘Wreckard’ satire addition were offensive to members of Buffalo State and the surrounding community.”
It’s really hard to see what was offensive.
The Wreckard lampooned the lack of available parking, low voter turnout in student government elections, students not practicing hygiene before class, the campus performance of “Nicki Minaj” (with some nice Photoshop), disgraced news anchor Brian Williams … the only contender for serious offense is an earnest review of a tacky Mexican restaurant as authentically Mexican, and that’s a mockery of clueless white people.
Maybe it was the drone strike article?
The paper’s adviser says students went through all the normal precautions before printing satire, “from the obviously altered name and typeface to the topics, which no one should believe to be true.”
The student government had warned that the paper’s financial future depended on students voting for the continuation of a $75 student activity fee, but the paper noted the government is dropping $100,000 on a one-night concert.
UPDATE: The Record said it has not removed copies of the print April Fools’ edition, which remain available around campus. The article has been amended to reflect this.
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IMAGE: The Record
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