Student Subscriptions

There has been a lot of concern in the digital age about the decline of traditional journalism. Part of the issue is that young people in general seem less likely to consume news from established newspapers than older people

An editorial in the Bruin - which is, after all, a newspaper - notes that all students get a free subscription to the New York Times - for now:

“All the news that’s fit to print” is now free to peruse for all UCLA students thanks to a new funding program under the Undergraduate Students Association Council. The initiative to make The New York Times accessible for students for free was engineered by Financial Supports Commissioner Sara Broukhim along with USAC General Representatives Gabby Lasry and Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia, among others. After nearly two years in the making, USAC made the deal with the Times using about $31,000 of surplus funds to get free subscriptions for more than 32,000 undergraduate students.

Giving UCLA students subscriptions to The New York Times represents a major step in ensuring that Bruins can access reliable news reporting on a variety of topics from one of the country’s most reputable newspapers. Along with initiatives such as the Bruin U-Pass program that emerged from the transit referendum last year, this effort shows that USAC is having a positive impact on the student community, channeling resources into effective projects that benefit the day-to-day lives of Bruins. However, because of the use of surplus funding to support the program, there are concerns that access to The New York Times after this year could be put at risk if alternative financing cannot be found.

Students should have the option to permanently fund the Times subscription program through a referendum during this year’s USAC election...

Full editorial at https://dailybruin.com/2023/10/15/editorial-permanent-funding-is-crucial-for-ensuring-continued-access-to-the-new-york-times.