The Oxymoron
Encyclopedia
The Oxymoron is a satirical
student magazine
published anonymously by and for students of Oxford University. 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
, as well as being a reference to the word Oxon, used to identify an Oxford degree. It is published termly.
term of 2007, though it has had a stall at the Oxford Freshers' Fair since 1999. 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.
The Oxymoron has the largest Facebook
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.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
student magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published anonymously by and for students of Oxford University. It takes the form of a spoof newspaper, similar to The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
, 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
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms...
, as well as being a reference to the word Oxon, used to identify an Oxford degree. It is published termly.
History
The magazine was first published on November 17th in MichaelmasMichaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
term of 2007, though it has had a stall at the Oxford Freshers' Fair since 1999. Each issue from the second has been 8 pages in length; the first contained 4 pages. These are split between news satire
News satire
thumb|right|220px|[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]] is a news satire program.News satire, also called fake news , is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content...
, 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.
The Oxymoron has the largest Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
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.
Awards
| Year | Awards | Nomination | Result | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Guardian Student Media Awards | Best Magazine | Nominated | Quench, University of Cardiff |
| 2009 | Guardian Student Media Awards | Best Magazine | Winner | |
| 2010 | Guardian Student Media Awards | Will Benton, [Kings College, London], | Runner-up | Mimi Kempton-Stewart (columnist) Digital Journalist of the Year |