PITTSBURGH -- Being funny without being offensive is tough to do, which is why three college newspapers that published April Fools' Day editions - those at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Scranton and the University of Nebraska at Omaha - are in trouble.
Carnegie Mellon's paper, The Tartan, voluntarily shut down for the rest of the semester after publishing a racially charged cartoon in its 12-page spoof edition. The cartoonist lost his job, and the editor in chief - who blamed fatigue for clouding editors' judgment - is taking a leave of absence from the Pittsburgh university until fall.
University of Scranton officials in Pennsylvania closed The Aquinas for parodying Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," college administrators and Georgetown University, a fellow Jesuit institution.
The Gateway, the Nebraska paper, apologized for its four-page edition titled The Ghettoway. One story, with the headline "Gateway cameras stolen during weekend," was written by Ono Udidn. Another fake byline: Mindjo Bidness. The news editor, who is black, told The Gateway for a story Tuesday that she thought the content was representative of pop culture in general.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...0April%20Fools
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