''The Oxymoron'' is a student
satirical magazine published anonymously by and for students of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. It takes the form of a spoof newspaper, similar to
The Onion, though with a focus on events relevant to the life of an Oxford student. The magazine takes its name from the concept of an
oxymoron
An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...
, as well as being a reference to the word Oxon, used to identify an Oxford degree. It is published termly.
History
The magazine was founded in
Michaelmas
Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...
term of 2007 by Matt Pickles, David Murgia and John Citron, three undergraduate students from The Queen's College, and first published on November 17. Each issue from the second has been 8 pages in length; the first contained 4 pages. These are split between
news satire, and spoof features. In contrast with the majority of student publications, it is printed without the names of the writers or editors, and these are not normally made public. Many previous Oxymoron editors have gone on to work as professional journalists and comedy writers.
The Oxymoron has the largest
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
group of any Oxford magazine or newspaper. Despite this popularity, the magazine has at times struggled to find funding - it carries few advertisements and seeks alternative funding through a combination of
JCR subscriptions and charity comedy nights by acts such as the
Oxford Revue
The Oxford Revue is a comedy group primarily featuring students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, England. Founded in the early 1950s, The Oxford Revue has produced many prominent comedians, actors and satirists. The Revue w ...
.
Awards
See also
*
List of satirical magazines
*
List of satirical news websites
*
List of satirical television news programs
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxymoron, The
2007 establishments in England
Magazines established in 2007
Publications associated with the University of Oxford
Student magazines published in the United Kingdom
Mass media in Oxford
Satirical magazines published in the United Kingdom
College humor magazines