History in the Unmaking: Publisher Drops The Beaver As Magazine Name
jonathanturley
First there was the Wisconsin Tourism Federation changing its name to avoid the confusion with another usage of WTF, here. Now, Canada’s second-oldest magazine, The Beaver, is changing its name because it continues to be confused with porn sites and filtered out on computers.
The magazine’s name was chosen 90 years ago in a more innocent time to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the fur trade.
Publisher Deborah Morrison says that “The Beaver was an impediment online.” Not only was the site blocked, but emails were often returned as presumed porn. If she is bothered by the confusion, imagine the thousands of porn reviewers who went to The Beaver only to find a cover on Arctic Visions.
That does not seem to bother the good people at Beaver.com or even worse, The Busy Beaver. Indeed, one wonders what happens when Oregon’s Fightin’ Beavers visit other schools.
They should not have the same problem with the new title which is as dull and unassuming as they could find: Canada’s History.
