Whew. Crisis averted. Everyone please pick up a copy of the Washington Witness-yes, the one dated three weeks from now-and learn how to spot manufactured controversy. You caught us. So there are no secrets, we will now disclose a transcript of the meeting that took place before Forum Editor Jeff Stepp’s article first ran in Student Life.
Stepp: Hey guys, I’m bored. What can I do to stir up trouble?
Everyone else: Well, can we pick on Student Union or the Greeks?
Stepp: Nah, that’s old hat. I want FRESH BLOOD. I’ve got it! Why don’t I write about homophobia? I hear Professor Katz is a real bigot.
Everyone else: Great idea. Then we’ll personally call everyone we know and get people to write in and act hysterical and we’ll be famous!
Editor in Chief Margaret Bauer: Don’t forget to add in a splash of anti-Semitism, because it just wouldn’t be our paper without some Jew-hating.
Here’s the story: Forum does not work like the rest of the paper. People can write about whatever they want and express whatever opinions they want, and if a particular column starts a campus dialogue, a.k.a. “manufactures controversy,” that’s even better. The article in the Washington Witness itself is proof that the Forum section is doing its job. We like ruffling people’s feathers, and we sure got to the Witness-they devoted a three-page spread to further promotion of a controversy they accused us of unnecessarily prolonging.
Anyway, thanks for the publicity and caring enough to write. And don’t worry, we’ll have a talk with Jeff Stepp about that whole “man-dog sex” thing. That’s just downright disturbing.