The Koala
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The Koala is a satirical comedy college paper distributed primarily on the campus of The University of California, San Diego. The publication is one of many campus newspapers partly funded by the Associated Students of UCSD, the school's student government whose responsibilities include distributing monies to various student organizations. Another portion of The Koala's funding comes from advertisement. It was founded in 1982, but the details of its origins are uncertain. The composition of the paper consists of artwork, articles, personals, and lists, similar to David Letterman's Top Ten List.
| The Koala | |
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| The Koala |
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| Type | Black and White, Twice or Thrice-Quarterly comedy paper |
| Format | Tabloid |
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| Owner | None |
| Editor | David Gregory |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | UCSD, La Jolla, CA, U.S. |
| Circulation | 6,000 - 8,000 |
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| Website: www.thekoala.org | |
Contents |
[edit] Other Media
In addition to the print version, The Koala also broadcasts a television show, Koala-TV as well as having an online portal for readers and staff. The material on both is consistent with the type of humor found in the paper.
[edit] Type of comedy
Nearly all of The Koala's writing is intentionally politically incorrect. The paper has made fun of/attacked every race, ethnicity, religion, group, people with disabilities, sex, and sexual orientation, as well as recent national tragedies. No subject is taboo, and the The Koala made jokes about the World Trade Center bombing within months of the event. The paper also celebrates a hedonistic lifestyle including the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and pornography.
[edit] Examples of Humor
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- Artistic interpretation of Spinal Tap's Smell the Glove.
- Artistic interpretation of Spinal Tap's Smell the Glove.
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- Top 5 Things OJ Said After the Second Verdict
- 1. I guess that's the kind of justice you can expect from whitey.
- 2. We need another trial to act as a tie breaker.
- 3. Every dollar taken away from me is 1 less dollar I can spend on finding the real killers.
- 4. That's one home improvement job I should have had a professional do.
- 5. I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids.
- Top 5 Things OJ Said After the Second Verdict
[edit] List of Controversies
Due to the nature of The Koala's racially and sexually provocative humor, it has been involved in several controversies since nearly the beginning of its existence. Among scandals which have garnered national media attention are:
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- 1) Member Steve York broadcasts a pornographic video of him having sex with a woman on Koala-TV.[1]. York's story appeared on several TV newsprograms including NBC4 in Los Angeles [2] and 10 News, San Diego [3]. York also went on The O'Reilly Factor to discuss the issue [4].
- 2) In its most criticized issue, The Koala published in 2003 a parody newspaper called Jizzlamwhich ridiculed the culture of the Middle East and the Muslim religion [5]. This issue caused Koala members to be physically attacked by outraged Muslim students. The UCSD administration and The San Diego Police were indifferernt when staffers reported it.
- 3) In 2002, The Koala was accused of harrassing Chicano rights group member Ernesto Martinez. This led the university to pass a relsolution to suspend the paper from campus for a year [6] [7].
- 4) In 2006, The Koala was evicted from its campus offices by Gary Radcliffe, assistant vice chancellor of student life, when a bong with marijuana residue and beer bottles were discoverd in its filing cabinets.This resulted in a sit-in where staffers occupied and lived in the office and adjacent media commons [8] [9].
[edit] Official Mission Statements
2006 - present: "To crush all your hopes and dreams with comedy"
2005 - 2006: "Forever Uniting College Kids Using Comedy Satire and Derision"
2004 - 2005: "To punch all of our members in their mother fucking faces, twice a quarter"
2003 - 2004: "To print the word 'Mother Fucker' more than any other paper in the world"
[edit] Editors
2006 - Present: David Gregory
2005 - 2006: Brad Kohlenberg
2004 - 2005: Steve York
2003 - 2004: Bryan Barton
2002 - 2003: Erik Kapernick
2001 - 2002: George Liddle III
2000 - 2001: Ethan Duni
1999 - 2000: Evan Hoovler and Tulley Rafferty
1998 - 1999: Spencer Yaras
1997 - 1998: Will Skinner
1995 - 1996: Tom Scmidt
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20051029-9999-7m29koala.html
- ^ http://www.nbc4.tv/education/4207338/detail.html
- ^ http://www.10news.com/news/4254882/detail.html
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148492,00.html
- ^ http://www.splc.org/report_detail.asp?id=1023&edition=26
- ^ http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=435
- ^ http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/july26-02/comment3.htm
- ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20061026-9999-2m26koala.html
- ^ http://www.10news.com/news/10163149/detail.html
