Fresno State University students reject free NYT subscription over woke coverage

The lefty student government at a local California university rejected a proposal that would grant its student body free subscriptions to The New York Times, citing issues with how The Times covered major world-happenings.

“The New York Times has historically been a little bit problematic and controversial in their reporting and in their journalism,” student official Alya Hassan, who voted against the proposal, told the Fresno Bee.

Hassan referenced its coverage of Israel and Gaza as one example, adding the organization lacked journalistic integrity for avoiding words like genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupied territory in its reporting.

The paper has faced backlash and criticism regarding its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war, with critics from multiple sides accusing it of bias.

The proposal at its Feb. 18 meeting — first reported by The Collegian, the student-run paper — would have provided free subscriptions at a cost of $15,705 to the student government. The motion failed in a majority vote after a 30-minute debate, the Bee reported.

The proposal was written and put forth by another Fresno State student, Sarah Sevy, after conversations with supporters.

“I had students say ‘oh I love the cooking,’ or ‘oh I love the Wordle,’ or ‘man that would be really handy when my professor says we have to use this article, and it’s behind a paywall,’” Sevy told the Bee.

Hassan said there was no clear demand for the free subscriptions and also questioned how it might be perceived.

“If we were to fund this using student fees, we would essentially be endorsing the New York Times editorial positions and their narratives and that’s where my hesitation comes in,” Hassan said.

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The opposition from the student government came even after a New York Times representative told students the paper provides free access to colleges across the country, including Harvard, UC Berkeley, USC, NYU and UC San Diego.

“As far as our editorial process, I have no comment on that, it’s not my side of the business,” Todd Halvorson said. “All I can reflect is, you know, we have 145 Pulitzer Prizes. More than any other news organization.”

About 25% of students with free access actively use their subscription, according to Halvorson.

Fresno State students, faculty and staff currently have free digital access to The Wall Street Journal through a partnership with the Fresno State Library.

Sevy argued the cost would amount to just 67 cents per student in fees — far less than what individuals would pay for a standalone subscription — and said access to credible journalism is increasingly important nationwide.

“I don’t feel like it’s irresponsible considering some of the other things we spend student fees on,” Sevy told the Bee. “Like, do we need tailgates? We still do them because they are fun and they provide a good quality experience to students on campus.”