LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Observer Goes Straight
Jokes are out, news is in

The editors of the SAIS Observer are changing the newspaper’s direction.

In response to demands by Deans Einhorn, Baker and Harrington that humorous content be removed from the Observer’s pages, we have decided to switch to a strictly news-only format.

“What we need is a newspaper that will enlighten and educate the student body and will tackle the pressing issues on campus,” Dean Einhorn said in a heated meeting with the editors.

According to the deans, the newspaper has strayed from its original purpose of informing the student body about important news around campus and has gotten just plain silly.

Among their complaints about the newspaper were the made up stories, spoofs and irrelevant articles that increasingly took over the paper.

“We always hated those April Fool’s issues that previous editors have published,” Dean Baker added, referring to editions of the newspaper consisting of made-up stories, including fake interviews with the deans.

“There are plenty of interesting issues around campus to write about,” Dean Harrington chimed in. “For example, the Middle America Studies program that we are introducing next semester or the dress code policy that our esteemed colleague Dean Packer has just implemented.”

The Deans also suggested that the newspaper publish more robust stories, such as an in-depth three-part series on UN Security Council sanctions on Iran and their effect on the price of tacos as the SAIS cafeteria.

In order to add an academic dimension to the newspaper, we will include transcripts from Dean Harrington’s Calculus videos so that students will be able to keep their math skills sharp.

We have negotiated an agreement for exclusive pre-publication rights to his Calculus II videos.

A small number of students have lamented the change.

“With the consolidation of the real media, it’s been harder and harder to get reliable fake news,” Susannah Blume, a first year International Law concentrator said.

Yet overall, reactions to the change in editorial direction have been mostly positive.

“It wasn’t that funny anyway,” Chris Forster, a first year Strategic Studies concentrator, said. “And those pseudonymous articles were trying to be more clever than they were. Blimey!”

We hope you enjoy the new and improved face of the SAIS Observer.