Forget The Onion — Binghamton University students now have a local source when it comes to getting news from an alternative perspective: The Wad.
The Wad, a Binghamton University student-run online magazine at thewadnow.com, will consist of fake news, similar to The Onion, as well as comics and videos.
Ryan Vaughan, an English professor and The Wad faculty editor, said he had been toying with the idea of creating a humor magazine for two years.
“There is a huge hole in BU where comedy should be,” he said, adding that The Wad is purely comical with no political message. “The editorial staff’s sole job is to determine what is and is not funny.”
Although Vaughan noted that there are challenges to having an online publication, his editorial staff is excited about the release of this collaborative Internet project.
“There is a difference between paper and online [publications],” said The Wad editor John Pfannkuchen, a senior English creative writing major. “There is a different dynamic. You can edit on the fly. There is more opportunity for video, graphics and sound.”
Pfannkuchen has been working on The Wad since its first meeting over a year ago, and has had previous experience from his role with BCC Weekly at Broome Community College.
“I had insight I wanted to share [and] helped [The Wad] set up their infrastructure,” Pfannkuchen said. The senior said he wanted a local paper geared at making the people of Binghamton smile.
Tonight, The Wad plans to hold a launch party for the magazine in the Mountainview Dining Hall Lounge. The Facebook event promised free food, live performances and “odd sexual tension,” with the theme of the launch being lameness.
To inform BU students of the magazine, the editorial staff also plans to pass out flyers, adorn the campus sidewalks with chalk advertisements and table at the New University Union. They hope the magazine will be in print form by the end of the year, as it currently is only available online.
The Wad’s staff consists of Vaughan and roughly 10 student editors and writers. The Wad welcomes BU students to contribute “anything and everything” to its fledgling operation. Students who wish to submit news can send it to binghamtonwad@gmail.com.
Members of The Wad will hold a GIM at the beginning of November for interested students.