The Civilian

Satirical news website in New Zealand

The Civilian
Founder(s)Ben Uffindell
Founded2013
Websitethecivilian.co.nz[dead link]

The Civilian was a satirical New Zealand website. It was started in 2013 by Ben Uffindell, who finished a degree in political science at University of Canterbury in 2012.[1][2] It has been compared to the US satirical website/newspaper The Onion.[2][3] In April 2013 The Civilian received about 15,000 page views per day,[2] and in a May 2013 interview Uffindell stated an average of 20,000–25,000 page views per day.[4]

The site caused controversy when Conservative Party leader Colin Craig threatened to sue for defamation over satirical quotes regarding his stance on same-sex marriage.[5][6]

In June 2014, Uffindell announced through his website his intention of forming a political party.[7][8] The Civilian Party was registered by the Electoral Commission on 11 August 2014.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Manhire, Toby (25 March 2013). "The Civilian: a new NZ satire site". New Zealand Listener. APN News & Media. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Gates, Charlie (1 April 2013). "Satirical spoofs spread word for The Civilian". The Press. Fairfax New Zealand. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ^ Fisher, David (27 April 2013). "Web satirist gets the last laugh". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  4. ^ Bookman, Sam (20 May 2013). "From the Blogosphere – The Civilian". Craccum (10). Auckland University Students' Association. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  5. ^ Satherley, Dan (23 April 2013). "Colin Craig threatens satirical website". 3 News. MediaWorks New Zealand. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  6. ^ King, Caroline; Speer, Sophie (24 April 2013). "Site's popularity soars after stoush". The Press. Fairfax New Zealand. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Editorial: Why we're registering a political party". The Civilian. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Joining The Civilian Party". The Civilian. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Registration of The Civilian Party and Logo". Electoral Commission. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.

External links