EDITORS' CORNER
Newspaper jokes about ICE on campus, ‘DEI for whites’
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper recently issued an apology for its “insensitive” satire articles published this month.
The Daily Tar Heel’s April Fools’ edition featured a series of satirical articles addressing political and campus issues, including immigration enforcement and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
“[W]e have seen and heard your critiques and outrage, and we see now how the packaging of our satire content into an April Fools’ Day newspaper appeared to make light of the issues discussed — which was not at all our intention,” The Daily Tar Heel’s Editor-in-Chief Alli Pardue (pictured) wrote in the apology article.
“These were insensitive decisions and oversights made by a newsroom and leadership team that undoubtedly exist in positions of power and privilege on this campus,” she wrote.
She added that while the student writers aimed to transform “moral outrage” into art, the pieces ultimately harmed the communities they had hoped to support and give a voice to.
“The pieces were written to call attention to the senseless events occurring today, like sending ICE agents to replace TSA agents at airports nationwide — abhorrent real-life news events. But our execution of this edition was riddled with error and fundamentally fell flat,” Pardue wrote.
To make amends, the publication plans to discuss its “errors” during a newsroom meeting and speak with the student groups who complained about the satire to “address and alleviate their concerns.”
One of the satirical articles was titled “Trump orders Alcohol Law Enforcement in Chapel Hill to be replaced with ICE agents.”
“Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that he would be sending the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement to its next high-crime destination: Chapel Hill, North Carolina,” the since-deleted article read, according to The Detroit News.
Another article, titled “UNC brings back DEI — for whites” also sparked outrage.
The article joked that blonde students on campus are “approached by peers who ask to touch their hair” or asked whether their grandparents were part of the Irish famine.
“At a moment when Black enrollment at UNC is declining, and DEI initiatives are under systemic attack, joking about ‘DEI for whites’ is a slap in the face,” student body president Adolfo Alvarez told Reflector. “It mocks the students who are currently fighting just to feel like they belong on this campus.”
The university also addressed the controversy in a post on Instagram.
“We understand your concerns. @dailytarheel is an independent news organization that is not affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the organization directly,” it wrote.
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