The student senate of California State University, Fresno’s Associated Students, Inc., voted on Feb. 18 to reject a proposal to fund free subscriptions to The New York Times for the campus community, citing concerns about the outlet’s reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to The Collegian, a student publication.
The initiative, presented by Times representative Todd Halvorsen and student senator Sara Sevy, would have cost $15,705 if approved.
Halvorsen told the student senate that “about 60% of college students across the United States have the subscription, and about 20% of them actually use it.”
Student senator Alya Hassan criticized the newspaper’s coverage, saying it is “unethical” and avoids terms such as “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing” and “occupied territory,” according to the student newspaper.
“I have no comment on that,” Halvorsen replied. “We do report on the facts. That is our mission. We seek the truth and help people understand the world.”
Sevy highlighted subscription benefits, such as wellness and logic-puzzle content, and cited an informal campus poll of about 60 students, all of whom said they did not oppose the initiative. “It’s only 67 cents a person,” she said.
Hasson reiterated her objection to using student fees, saying funding the subscription would amount to endorsing the paper’s editorial positions.
“I don’t feel like it’s irresponsible, considering some of the other things that we spend student fees on,” Sevy responded.
The motion failed, with a majority of senators voting no and three abstaining.
