Fresno State Students Reject Free New York Times Subscriptions

Student government cites concerns over news coverage in voting down proposal.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Fresno State's student government body voted down a proposal to provide free digital subscriptions to the New York Times for students, with some officials citing concerns over the newspaper's news coverage, particularly related to its reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Why it matters

The decision highlights growing debates around media bias and journalistic integrity on college campuses, as well as the challenges student governments face in allocating limited funds to provide educational resources versus other student activities.

The details

The Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) at Fresno State considered a $15,705 proposal to fund free New York Times subscriptions for students, but the motion failed in a majority vote after a 30-minute debate. Some student officials, like Alya Hassan, argued the Times lacks journalistic integrity for avoiding words like "genocide" and "occupied territory" in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Other concerns were raised about whether there was sufficient student demand to justify the cost.

  • The proposal was considered at the ASI's Feb. 18, 2026 meeting.
  • The motion to provide free New York Times subscriptions was voted down in a majority vote.

The players

Alya Hassan

A Fresno State student official who voted against the proposal, citing concerns over the New York Times' news coverage.

Sarah Sevy

A Fresno State student official who proposed the free New York Times subscription plan, arguing it would provide valuable access to quality news and other content for students.

Todd Halvorsen

A representative from the New York Times who told ASI members that over 10 million college students have free access to the Times through student government funding or library partnerships.

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI)

Fresno State's student government body that voted down the proposal to provide free New York Times subscriptions to students.

The Collegian

Fresno State's student-run newspaper that first reported on the rejected proposal.

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What they’re saying

“The New York Times has historically been a little bit problematic and controversial in their reporting and in their journalism.”

— Alya Hassan, Fresno State student official (The Collegian)

“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.”

— Alya Hassan, Fresno State student official (The Collegian)

“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'.”

— Sarah Sevy, Fresno State student official (The Collegian)

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

— Todd Halvorsen, New York Times representative (The Collegian)

What’s next

The Fresno State student government will likely continue to debate the merits of providing free access to major news publications for students.

The takeaway

This decision reflects the growing tensions on college campuses around media bias, journalistic integrity, and how student governments should allocate limited funds to support educational resources versus other student activities and experiences.