Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Return to Tradition of Good-Humored Satire

To the Editor:

Normally in March, editors at The Hoya begin planning the annual April Fools’ Day issue. After the uproar over last year’s ill-conceived issue, however, I assume there is a good chance that this year’s staff will simply scrap the satirical issue and print a regular paper. Doing so would be a terrible choice.

The April Fools’ issue is meant to be a break from serious journalism and to entertain The Hoya’s readers by poking fun at Georgetown’s foibles. During my tenure at The Hoya, articles were satirical without being offensive. Unfortunately, the 2009 April Fools’ team apparently viewed their issue as a challenge to print expletives as many times as possible.

Of course, the real challenge of the issue is to fool people. After running “GU Rescinds 421 Acceptance Letters” as the 2006 headline during a GAAP weekend – in the wake of the SAT scoring mistakes – one of us even saw a Jesuit with the paper in hand good-naturedly teasing the family of a prospective student.

But the April Fools’ issue is a great Hoya tradition, and it deserves to stick around. The Hoya has spent the last several years trying to prove that it is ready to function as an independent organization. What message do its staffers send if they can’t put out a simple joke issue once a year without completely screwing it up? What better way to restore trust in the newspaper than actually getting it right this year?

Eric Rodawig (COL ’07) is a former Viewpoint Editor, Contributing Editor, and a member of The Hoya’s Editorial Board.

Feb. 26, 2010.

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