The Fed
The Fed is an "alternative" campus newspaper, in the sense that it's rather different to the Columbia Spectator. It was founded in 1986 by "a libertarian, a conservative, and a socialist (although no one knows which was which)". One of them, Neil Gorsuch, is now a federal court judge, which some consider ironic.
The name is an allusion to the Federalist Papers, authored in part by prominent conservative Alexander Hamilton, and this seems to harken back to a period in which the paper was rumored to have a somewhat rightist orientation. It is also rumored to have been funny at one point in history, although no empirical evidence exists. Occasionally it succeeds at being provocatively satirical and even investigative.
Among its features is "They Watch," which derides various social and Columbia-related trends, and oft-controversial cartoons. The newspaper almost died after publishing the infamous Wacky Fun Whitey cartoon.
The Fed comes out every three weeks.
Fed Bash
A party hosted by The Fed once a semester. Ads usually involve people in leather or other conventionally-shocking-but-unremarkable-in-New-York-things.
