The Fed (newspaper)

The Federalist

Official logo of The Federalist
Categories Humor
Frequency Monthly
Circulation 5,000
First issue February 1986
Company Undergraduate satirical newspaper
Country United States
Language American English
Website the-fed.net

The Federalist, known colloquially and more commonly as The Fed, is a tabloid-sized (as opposed to broadsheet) newspaper published every three weeks at Columbia University in New York City. Founded in 1986 by Neil M. Gorsuch, Andrew Levy and P.T. Waters, the paper has undergone many changes in mission, style, form, and success, though it has experienced relatively few interruptions in production since the publication of its first issues.

History

1986-1988

The early Fed carried the full "Federalist Paper" masthead and advertised itself as "a newspaper in the tradition of Columbians Hamilton and Jay." The founding members were "a libertarian, a conservative, and a socialist (although no one knows which was which)."[1] The paper's mission was to create a "classically liberal" forum with content centered primarily on issues and news topics considered "politically delicate" at Columbia, such as race relations, discussions as to Barnard's place in the newly co-ed institution, and whether anyone at the school actually listened to the August WKCR.[2] Although welcoming articles from all points of view, the tone tended towards conservativism, although elements of the iconoclastic style of humor that would come to define the paper's "golden era" are also present. Even as early as the first few issues, the paper referred to itself as "the Fed" and wrote editorials in an informal, personal style.[2]

1988-1992

By 1990, The Federalist Paper was already feeling the pinch of low content. Issues from the era display an increasing disregard for layout and copy-editing (a charge, ironically, often levelled at the paper regardless of the format), a decline in advertising from former stalwarts such as Coors and Kaplan, and an editorial board that drew almost exclusively conservative commentators. The board of 1992, after a fierce debate, recommitted itself to the "classically liberal" stance of the founders and began a charge towards diversity of opinions.[3]

1992-1996

During this period, thanks to the work of its Issues Section editors and staff, the paper became known as the leading informational publication at Columbia. It also retained its re-affirmed older mandate of providing a forum for diverging view-points, consistent with its classically liberal worldview. While those who abandoned the paper's worldview in later years would deride this period in the Federalist's history (for example, Volume 15's Editor-in-Chief Laurie Marhoefer later claimed that the paper declined in these years under pressure from other campus competitors, including the then-progressive Spectator and the socialist-sponsored Modern Times (long-since defunct).,[4] this reading of history is deeply questionable. The Federalist consistently published the clearest Conservative thinking at Columbia over these years, while also providing a microphone for dissenting views. The paper ran at a profit, due to its advertising sales and funding from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a national organization dedicated to the support of similar papers nationwide.

1996-1998

Mirroring Columbia's own campaign to upgrade its image, editor-in-chief Marc Doussard organized a massive layout overhaul and placed an increased emphasis on local social commentary. "They Watch," a regular feature, began running on Page 12. Topics ranged from sex to alcoholism to grade inflation. Readership of the paper increased dramatically.[5]

But success came at a price. The paper's staff became increasingly insular, refusing to recruit members as older staffers graduated, believing itself capable of running on nothing. By Fall 1997, the staff dwindled to two editors, who produced only one mammoth issue. As the spring semester of 1998 opened, their layout computer crashed, taking with it all records and templates. The Federalist Paper was finished.[6]

1999-2003

In the fall of 1998, a few readers of the older Federalist elected to restart the paper, committing to the same peculiar blend of viewpoints, with a focus on the humor and absurdism that made the previous incarnation appealing. After a few false starts (no one on the staff had any experience in laying out a newspaper, and as such the initial issues were printed in a giant font) and an anonymous donation, The Fed began to produce regular content.[7]

Unlike the prior incarnation, however, the editors of The Fed recruited heavily and often, with antics like the "Fed Bash" (see below) and their Orientation issues distributed to every incoming student's dorm room providing fresh faces and new ideas. As those that remembered The Federalist Paper graduated and publications like The Onion rose to national prominence, The Fed moved firmly into the "humor" category of publications.

The logo designed by Ned Ehrbar, featuring two stick figures in front of Low Library engaging in sodomy labeled as "Columbia" and "You," became a campus staple. By 2003, however, The Fed began to gather complaints. Some readers believed The Fed resorted to cheap jokes worthy of radio shock jocks, not a "subversive newspaper" (as the masthead then read).

2004

In February 2004, The Fed published a cartoon from the ongoing series "Whacky Fun Whitey" entitled "Blacky Fun Whitey." Columbia was already experiencing racial tensions on campus, after the Conservative Club authorized an "Affirmative Action Bake Sale" where items were sold at various prices depending on a person's race, gender, or political affiliation.[8] Many took the cartoon to be demeaning to African-Americans and the concept of Black History Month, and coming after the events of the previous weeks, it was the last straw. Students formed groups calling for immediate action and multicultural awareness, alleging an insidious culture of discrimination was growing from ignorance at Columbia.[9] Soon, cable news came calling. The entire editorial board and the artist published a full-page apology in the next issue. But the damage had been done, and to this day, The Fed receives backhanded references from other campus news outlets, especially the Spectator, as "the racially insensitive student publication."

Readership began to decline over the next two years. In addition, though the paper recruited new members in fall 2004, the staff slowly trended towards insularity again, with many deserting for publications such as the Blue and White. The paper was criticised for lack of content and its increasingly dated design.

2006-2014

The 2006-2007 academic year marked The Fed's 21st anniversary. It opened with a new layout design and included non-fictional material. Interviews with subjects such as Jon Voight, Al Franken and Steve Wozniak resulted in positive responses. Stand-alone comics such as the "Prez-Bo" also turned heads, and a large recruitment effort brought a bumper crop of new artists - making projects such as 22.2's full-page collaborative cover illustration possible. The humor content, too, has steadily improved, with articles emphasizing topical humor such as the Minuteman debacle and displaying a more concentrated style in general. Readership is still estimated to be lower than the 1999-2001 era, but for the first time seems to be trending upwards.

2014-Present

The year of 2014 marked a new era for The Fed. Led by Adam Kelly-Penso and McKenzie Fritz, the content of the newspaper became more professionally and artfully satirical.

The Fed Bash

Perhaps unique among Columbia publications, since 2000 The Fed has held an annual spring event, "Fed Bash," which features live bands, burlesque dancers, and other performance artists.

Colombia Spectador

Every year on April 1 since 2001, The Fed publishes an issue with identical specifications to the Columbia Daily Spectator. It is placed in Spectator racks around campus throughout the month of April in order to fool unsuspecting readers into picking it up instead of the day's Spectator.

Organization

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the content of the paper. Recent editors have included:

Publisher

The Publisher handles the more technical aspects of the paper including: printing, business and advertising and serving as point person for interactions with Columbia bureaucracy, as well as being the primary organizer of the year-end Fed Bash. Recent Publishers have included:

Notable Fed alumni

References

  1. ↑ Marhoefer, Laurie. "The History of Columbia's Oldest Student Paper," The Fed, Volume 15, Issue 5.
  2. 1 2 The Federalist Paper, Volumes 1-2. Available by special request at the paper's archives.
  3. ↑ The Federalist Paper, Volume 7, Issue 1.
  4. ↑ Marhoefer.
  5. ↑ The Federalist Paper, Volume 11, Issues 3-5.
  6. ↑ Volume 13, Issue 1.
  7. ↑ The Fed - The History of Columbia’s Oldest Student Paper
  8. ↑ McKean, Jacob. "Bake Sale Prompts Debate in Lerner." Columbia Daily Spectator, February 6, 2004.
  9. ↑ Sellers, Morgan & Matthew Carhart. "Protesters Present Bollinger with Demands." Columbia Daily Spectator, February 27, 2004.
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