''The Yellow Journal'' is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

student-run publication at

The University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective adm ...

. Similar to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

, ''The Yellow Journal'' is the longest-running, though not continuously published, humor and satire publication at Jefferson's university. ''The Yellow Journal's'' overarching outlook was summarized early on by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', which in a 1913 edition wrote, "The Yellow Journal ..did not spare individuals, events or institutions in its ridicule and quips. It was well illustrated with appropriate cartoons. The character of the sheet can be best gathered from its motto, which is one of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's witticisms: Truth is precious--therefore economize with it."

Original run

Inspired by

yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include e ...

, the first issue of ''The Yellow Journal'' was published in 1912 and appeared annually from 1920 through 1934 under the slogan "All The News That Is Unfit To Print". In its 1912 incarnation, the journal was sponsored by

Sigma Delta Chi The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

, the journalistic fraternity, but beginning in 1920 the journal was unaffiliated with Sigma Delta Chi; in fact, all articles were published anonymously. The newspaper's outlandish headlines regarding prominent members of the university community caused a stir among the faculty and administration, and "Ye Yellow Journal" was denounced by some as being "inconsistent with the ideals and traditions of the University of Virginia." The satirical content was apparently less controversial than the broadsheet's anonymity; in 1928, the faculty senate adopted a resolution that viewed "with profound disapprobation anonymous publications," and "earnestly request dthe students responsible" to cease publication. When the Journal's editors stated an intent to omit references to the faculty from further issues, university professors stated that the principal objection was the paper's anonymity. ''The Yellow Journal'' was discontinued in 1934, when the University's Administrative Council set forth an order forbidding "the publication or sale of any anonymous paper, and edesire to record our unanimous condemnation of the recent number of ''The Yellow Journal'' as scurrilous and indecent in the extreme."

1980/90s revival

In 1986, ''The Yellow Journal'', or "YJ", was resurrected as a university-funded, student-run publication, published three times per semester. Students Walter Alcorn and Andy Metcalf obtained the student council funding to re-launch the publication, and formatted ''The Yellow Journal'' as a magazine instead of a newspaper. This new incarnation featured a slightly more intellectual approach to college humor magazines than was found at other schools, and reflected the pithy, politically minded humor of

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

1990s counterculture. During this period, the Journal featured the early work of underground cartoonists

Jen Sorensen Jen Sorensen (born September 28, 1974, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American cartoonist and illustrator who authors a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events from a liberal perspective. Her work appears on the websites Daily ...

and

M. Wartella Michael M. Wartella (born August 19, 1976) is an American underground cartoonist, animator, writer and director based in New York City, generally publishing under the name M. Wartella or just Wartella. He is best known for his work in ''The Vil ...

, among others. ''The Yellow Journal'' gained national notoriety when it was featured on an episode of

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of i ...

. The program was debating the Supreme Court case of

Rosenberger v. University of Virginia ''Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia'', 515 U.S. 819 (1995), was an opinion by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding whether a state university might, consistent with the First Amendment, withhold from stu ...

, and the constitutionality of whether a government-funded school had the authority to withhold funding from the Christian publication ''Wide Awake'' while simultaneously granting funding to other publications such as ''The Yellow Journal'', "a humor magazine that has targeted Christianity as a subject of satire." ''The Yellow Journal'' also included satire of atheists, philosophers, and many other religions. Despite a successful run throughout the 1990s, ''The Yellow Journal'' ceased publication in 1999.

Current revival

In December 2010 a new issue appeared at various locations around Grounds, and since then a new issue has been distributed right before finals week each semester. The current incarnation is similar to the original run in that it features fake news and centers on life at the university. It is different in that, unlike the 1980s/1990s version, they publish anonymously.

Mottos

Throughout the decades, the Journal utilized many various slogans and mottos, including (but not limited to): * "All The News That Is Unfit To Print" ''1912'' * "Truth is precious--therefore economize with it." ''1913'' * "Be Not Hasty in the Spirit To Be Angry, For Anger Resteth In The Bosom of Fools." ''1921'' * "Silence Is The Journal's Thunder. To Be Ignored By The Journal Is Ignominy." ''1921, 1992, 1993'' * "Quidquid discipuli disciplulorum in usum pepentistis, frustum eius hic videstis. (Your student activity fees at work.)" ''1987, 1992, 1993'' * "Definitively inaccurate since 1912" ''2010-2016'' * "Economizing the Truth since 1912" ''2016-Present''

References

External links

Fall 2016 Edition
* ttp://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/FIST2000-3/churchnews/X0016_Cavalier.txt.html Church of the SubGenius article {{DEFAULTSORT:Yellow Journal, The 1912 establishments in Virginia Satirical magazines published in the United States Student magazines published in the United States Mass media in Charlottesville, Virginia College humor magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1912 Magazines published in Virginia University of Virginia