Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

The New York Times offers college students online discount

Lauren Ceronie, Campus Editor

The New York Times has a storied history; the Pulitzer Prizes, the investigative reporting and, of course, the price. The paper that gives us "All the news that's fit to print" is one of the more expensive in the business with a yearly home delivery subscription costing around $385. The Times also introduced digital subscriptions March 28 that can cost from $180 to $420 for a year subscription.

Miami University students and The New York Times lovers need not worry, however. The Times announced April 4 it will be giving students attending about 350 universities that participate in its Newspaper Readership Program a discount on digital subscriptions, according to The New York Times spokesperson, Eileen Murphy.

"We have a long tradition at the Times of usage for educational purposes," Murphy said. "This discount is consistent with policies we've always had."

As attendees of a university that participates in the Readership Program, Miami students are eligible for a 25 percent discount on digital subscriptions to The Times, Murphy said. Students will pay $11.25 per month for a basic package that includes access to The Times on computers and smartphones instead of the non-discounted $15 per month for the same package, according to Murphy. More advanced packages that include access to The Times on tablets are not discounted, Murphy said.

The Times discount for college students is simply an addition to the other educational programs the company supports, according to Murphy. These programs include workshops for aspiring journalists and sponsoring speakers at universities, Murphy said.

"This comes from the very top of the company where there's a deep commitment to education," Murphy said.

Through the Readership Program, Miami brings free print copies of The New York Times, USA Today, and Cox Media Group Papers to dining halls and academic buildings around campus, according to Richard Campbell, journalism department director and professor. The university is able to get the newspapers at a discount and subsidize them with student fee money, Campbell said.

Through the program, Miami r eceives 300 copies of the The New York Times daily at 50 cents per paper, according to Kristen Mason, communications manager at The New York Times.

The university, which started the program in September 1999, felt this program was beneficial to students after a survey revealed 90 percent of students said they liked having the papers available to them, according to Campbell.

"Unlike a website or a Facebook page where you can customize what you can see, when you open up a newspaper you stumble across things you might not have stumbled across online," Campbell said. "Newspapers can cultivate that kind of learning experience."

Junior Brian Stone said he reads The New York Times multiple times a week and, although he may not use the discount, said he is glad it's available.

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"I wouldn't buy the discount because I can read the paper for free already, but I think it's good they give students a chance to get a discount," Stone said.