Each year when the NC State versus UNC-Chapel Hill men’s basketball game rolls around in the beginning of the spring semester, Technician staff members put their sense of humor to the test in our satirical special edition, The Daily Tar Hell. 

While The Daily Tar Hell has traditionally coincided with the NC State men’s basketball game against Carolina, this year we decided to line it up with the women’s basketball team’s duel against the Tar Heels in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Thanks to the Wolfpack’s dominance, NC State women’s basketball’s popularity has skyrocketed in the past several years. Combine that with the ever-present bad blood between UNC and NC State, and we’re happy to put a slight twist on this year’s Daily Tar Hell edition.

We know that, particularly in its satirical content, Technician has historically used humor to mask racist, sexist and homophobic rhetoric. This is not what Technician’s current staff stands for. We believe it is important to reflect on the role Technician has played on campus for the past 104 years. To acknowledge the harmful content Technician has published in the past and ensure we publish fair, responsible and transparent journalism now and in the future, we are using part of this week’s issue to inspect Technician’s own past. 

As we enter Black History Month, we also acknowledge past failings in Technician’s coverage of Black and underrepresented communities on campus. We are committed to consistently covering all communities on campus and not confining our coverage of underrepresented groups to heritage months. Keep an eye out for our coverage of Black History Month events throughout the month and our Black History Month special edition toward the end of the month.

We are also happy to bring back one of the better Daily Tar Hell traditions — a poster on the center spread of this week’s paper with everyone’s favorite, age-old saying: “Go to Hell Carolina.” Our goal is for as many people as possible to bring it to the Pack’s game against the Tar Heels in the “small gym” on Thursday night. If you can’t make it, feel free to hang it on your wall or give it to a friend or family member who won’t shut up about UNC.