The Oxymoron

Infobox Newspaper
name = The Oxymoron
type = Termly satirical
news magazine
format = Magazine
owners = student-run
foundation = 2007
headquarters = none
website = [http://www.theoxymoron.co.uk]
circulation = 15,000

"The Oxymoron" is a satirical student magazine published anonymously by and for students of Oxford University. It is similar in style to The Onion and Private Eye, taking the form of a spoof newspaper, although focuses on satirising events, practices and people relevant to the life of an Oxford student.

The Oxymoron takes its name from the concept of an oxymoron, a combination of contradictory terms, which is how 'student comedy' is often cynically viewed. It is also a reference to student newspaper The Oxford Student and the word Oxon, used to identify an Oxford degree.

It was first published in its present form on November 17th in Michaelmas term of 2007. Each issue is 8-pages in length, except the first which was 4, and tends to contain 7 pages of spoof news, and one of spoof features. [http://www.theoxymoron.co.uk/archives.html]

The magazine has courted controversy with articles satirising Oxford's racial and gender bias, corrupt student politics and 'dumbing down' of admissions procedures.

Despite having only been around a year, The Oxymoron has a strong claim to being Oxford's best-loved student publication, boasting the largest Facebook group of any Oxford magazine or newspaper.

Despite being hugely popular, the magazine has struggled to find funding in the past. October 2008 saw the magazine switch to a subscription service, meaning only colleges and institutions paying a termly fee would receive it. The success of this scheme remains to be seen.

In September 2008, The Oxymoron was nominated for Best Magazine in the prestigious Guardian Student Media Awards. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/29/guardian.student.media.awards] It was, controversially, the only magazine or newspaper from Oxford University to be nominated that year. [ http://cherwell.org/~cherwell/content.php?id=7723 ]

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