The Harvard Lampoon, the legendary Harvard student-run humor magazine that was first launched back in 1876, has issued an official apology following their publication of a photoshopped image that featured Anne Frank’s head on the body of a woman wearing a bikini.
The offensive image, which was published over the weekend of May 11, shows the head of a smiling Anne Frank poorly photoshopped onto the body of a comically busty woman.
“Gone Before Her Time: Virtual Aging Technology Shows Us What Anne Frank Would Have Looked Life if She Hadn’t Died,” the headline reads.
“Add this to your list of reasons the Holocaust sucked,” a footnote adds.
Following the immediate backlash, The Harvard Lampoon issued an immediate apology on Tuesday, May 14, stating that they “condemn any and all forms of anti-Semitism.”
“We as individuals and we as an organization would like to apologize for our negligence in allowing this piece to be created for and printed in our latest issue. We are sorry for any harm we have caused. Furthermore, we want to both affirm and emphasize that the Lampoon condemns any and all forms of anti-Semitism,” the statement reads.
“We realize that our publishing process lacks sufficient editorial oversight, so we are going to restructure our review process for issues to prevent the publication of content like this. These steps will be published on our website in the summer. However, they will constitute part of an ongoing process of change, the statement concluded.
The Harvard Lampoon, which was founded by seven Harvard University undergraduates in the year 1876, has featured many notable comedians throughout the decades, with modern day stars such as Colin Jost (Saturday Night Live), B.J. Novak (The Office), Michael Schur (creator of The Office, Parks & Rec), and Conan O’Brien working for the paper at one point.
At the time of this writing, Harvard University officials have yet to release a statement about the Lampoon’s publication of the Anne Frank image.