satirical newspaper
News satire or news comedy is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content. News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself, but it is particularly popular on t ...
created and produced at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
.
The ''Travesty'' began in 1997 as an independent, online-only publication by the Butler brothers: Kevin Butler (a former editorial columnist for ''
The Daily Texan
''The Daily Texan'' is the student newspaper of University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Austin. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States, with a daily circulation of roughly 12,000 during the fall and spri ...
'') and Brad Butler. Within a year, the publication successfully appealed for inclusion within
Texas Student Media
Texas Student Media (TSM) is an auxiliary enterprise of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the largest student media operation in the United States. It is composed of faculty, student, and professional news industry representatives.
Histor ...
(TSM, officially named Texas Student Publications), an auxiliary enterprise of the university which publishes ''The Daily Texan'' and produces
KVRX
KVRX (91.7 FM) is the student radio station at the University of Texas in Austin,
Texas, with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. Licensed to The University of Texas, KVRX shares the 91.7 frequency with KOOP, broadcasting from 7 p.m. to 9 ...
and TSTV.
The staff produces six issues each school year, three each long semester. According to the TSM itself, the ''Travesty'' currently has a print distribution of roughly 25,000 copies, in addition to thousands of online readers. The ''Travesty'' is supported by advertising revenue. As a publication within TSM, the paper shares some revenue and expenses with the general TSM organization. The editor-in-chief holds a non-voting position on the TSM board of directors.
Several of the ''Travesty''s writers and editors went on to publish ''That Other Paper'', a once-popular but now-defunct
alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
.
Awards
;''
Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...