The magazine stands at Massey University have been covered up after complaints about the cover of the latest issue of Massive.

The picture featured in the article below may offend some readers.

Massey University's student magazine has come under rapid fire after publishing a "grotesque" sexualised cover, and a satirical article about red-heads.

The cover of the latest Massive Magazine features a cartoon of a bent-over, naked student grimacing while having her hair pulled by a hand, and another hand on her buttocks.

MASSIVE MAGAZINE Two recent covers of Massive. The one on the right has been branded grotesque.

The image goes with a story on students who are doing sex work.

But the backlash has prompted the magazine's editor to pull the image from the web, its Facebook page, place a warning over magazine stands at university and ask other media to remove the image.

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The signs will warn victims of sexual violence that the cover may trigger a reaction, Massive editor Carwyn Walsh said.

"We are respecting and listening to complainants' issues on this ... but we don't apologise for covering what is a very delicate topic: students involved in the sex trade.

"Although we understand this image will be a trigger, we are deciding to continue with the cover as such a topic deserves such a cover."

But Massey extramural student Katherine Oakley said she was disgusted with the "grotesque" image of "the forceful sexual abuse of a woman".

"They're not just a fun, joke magazine, they're funded by a compulsory student levy and are meant to be relevant to students.

"They are a legitimate journalistic magazine, they should be held to that."

The complaints come days after Massive published a spoof news article claiming Massey University was banning red-headed students from its campuses in 2017.

That article sparked at least 28 complaints to the magazine's editor, mainly from university staff, Walsh said.

It is understood at least one further complaint has been lodged with the Human Rights Commission.

Walsh said the sex trade article was written by an investigative journalist who went out and talked to sex workers around Wellington who were also students.

His sources were found through social media.

He said the article was not "condoning or condemning" students doing sex work, but letting the students speak for themselves about the work through the story.



The article was published online on Tuesday evening.

In the fictitious interview with the Massey University vice-chancellor, Steve Maharey supposedly confirms that "ginger students would be excluded from study beginning in 2017".

The article had others describe having red-haired people as being a contagious disease, gross, and associated with inbreeding.

The Massive Media Advisory Panel, made up of the editorial team, media professors and students, met on Tuesday to discuss the complaints.

Walsh said the story "Massey university bans ginger students for 2017" would not be withdrawn.

He said the article was satirical, meant to highlight how easily discrimination could perpetuate in society.

"We believe the article conforms with the history of student satire, and that satire is a complex form of expression that on the surface can often shock, but beneath the surface has nuance."

Massey University communications director James Gardiner said the university would not be stepping in to handle either matter, and Maharey "understands satire".

"Massey is not the publisher of student media, it's published by the students association," he said.

"We don't have any comment on an article. The complaints need to be directed to the magazine editor."

The backlash comes a week after Victoria University student magazine Salient was forced to print an apology after publishing a spoof interview with its chancellor, Sir Neville Jordan.

The piece was published in the "Funny" section of the magazine, with the chancellor supposedly saying the best and worst part of his job was "shaking lots of sweaty hands at graduation ceremonies".

In a meeting afterwards, the editors were asked to publish an apology, and told that apology should include the word "unreservedly".

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