School forcing me to buy NY Times, what should I do? [vanity]

[sdk7x7]

I am currently a high school student at a public HS in New York State. This year (I'll be a senior), one of the requirements for my AP Gov't and Politics course is to pay a small student subscription fee for the NY Times. As a long-time reader of the Times, as well as a reader of TimesWatch.org and Coulter's SLANDER, I have recognized (and been disgusted by) the paper's clear liberal agenda.

The question is, what should I do? I am considering proposing to get USA Today or WSJ instead, but the former is not a great journalistic paper and the latter focuses more on financial issues than the news. The Wash Times would be a great option, but they don't offer daily delivery outside the DC area.

Any suggestions?

[Those_Crazy_Liberals]

Print it off the internet.

[mcenedo]

ask your moron teacher why you are forced to support an obviously biased fishwrap that had just admitted to fabricating major news stories. Tell him/her you'll be happy to do a report on the life and lies of the Slimes pulitzer prize winning Walter Duranty. Tell the morons that if there is an article that has to be read, it can generally be found on the Web. I don't believe a public school can "force" anyone to buy anything as biased as the Slime.

Even better, take the school district to court over this.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Yeah, but it's tough when you're in high school, and you don't have a choice as to whether or not you have to be there, or who your teachers are.

Now when you're in college, like me, it's a lot cooler. :-D

[John Robertson]

Comply. It sounds like it's not just a course requirement, but the course's raison d'etre. Despite its tarnish and its bias, it's still recognized by most as this country's "paper of record." And frankly, some of its cultural and arts coverage is among the very best.

You have been given an opportunity here: Read the paper, lead the discussions, steer the discussions. The idea that the paper is slanted is really not debatable--everyone knows it these days. Talk about how it was a once great paper, and it's still very "professional," of course, but here's how it went wrong. How could it regain its former luster--how did it lose it in the first place? Etc. Etc. Think of it as a grand opportunity to begin to pry the scales off the eyes off your classmates.

And yes, I'm completely series.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I was the same in High School... which might explain that little incident with my Spanish teacher calling the Secret Service on me. A complete misunderstanding, I assure you...

[doug from upland]

Tell him you get the news from your subscription to FR.

[Lancey Howard]

Tell them you want a newspaper with a lot more credibility than the NY Times has to offer. Tell them you want to get the NY Post instead. That's what I read every day.

[TheDon]

I second the motion. This is the best option.

[RandallFlagg]

While you're at it, send emails to all the talkshows and tell them what's happening. It'd be better to try to call in to them, but, as you're a student, I know your time is limited.

[sdk7x7]

"I don't believe public school can force you to buy..."

You guys should see what we're forced to buy. This summer I have 9 books to read (I'm not complaining because most of them are from college-level courses that I've elected to take). Nonetheless, one such book is Earth Odyssey, by Mark Heartsgaard for AP Environmental Science. At one point he comes straight out and demands "redistribution of the wealth" in Uganda. He also goes on and on about how cars cause pollution and finally concludes by saying that we should all buy less cars.

The best part of the book though, is the George Bush Sr. quotation that he criticizes: "The American way of life is not negotiable." Classic.

[Cathryn Crawford]

I was the same in High School... which might explain that little incident with my Spanish teacher calling the Secret Service on me. A complete misunderstanding, I assure you...

Try being homeschooled and giving hell to your teacher! That's not a good plan...

[Consort]

Tell them you're too distraught over the firing of Jayson Blair to read the Times.

[Natural Law]

Disregard a lot of the crap on this site. One of the more important lessons to be learned at your age is to choose your battles wisely. My advice is to go along and buy the rag. Look at it and learn to differentiate between fact and opinion. The front page of the NYT will be full of prime examples. Watch how the BS propagates through put the rest of the main stream media and judge the news sources accordingly. This will serve you well the rest of your life.

[ntnychik]

I agree with you about lafroste's idea. The best way to fight the enemy is to know them. My college political science course required that we refer to the latest news from the New York Times in our written examinations. This course is preparing you for college; might as well get used to it. But what an opportunity to bring in other material to refute the NYT bias!

[omegatoo]

If your objection is to financially contributing to the Times as opposed to actually reading it, I would explain that to your teacher, and offer to read whatever articles are assigned at the local library. That will mean extra work for you, though, because you'll have to follow through.

If your objection is to the class using the Times as a source, you probably won't be able to change that, but you could still approach your teacher about it and suggest other sources to be used as well. Be tactful and constructive.

Good luck in school this year.

O2

[July 4th]

Playing the game was the name of the game here in Madison. I wouldn't have made it out of undergrad alive if I hadn't learned how to spit back the garbage the professors toss out. Law school, despite the same type of liberal professors, is thankfully quite different. Believe it or not, you're actually respected for an opposing viewpoint! How refreshing is that?

My advice to this guy, if he actually has to get the Times, is the following: Upon receiving the first issue, raise your hand. Calmly mention to the teacher that you think there's been an error. "Sir, the opinion page seems to run from Page 1 to Section E. Is it like this in every issue? Or perhaps this is a special edition."

BTW, nice job with your latest Dispatch column.

[gc4nra]

Ask him you can do a report on Jason Blair.

[paul51]

Public schools can't require you to pay. Call the ACLU

[Newbomb Turk]

Bet you ddin't know that Mark Heartsgaard drives a Hummer H2.

[LiteKeeper]

Do what I do. Use the articles to point out the foolishness of the Liberal/Leftist philosophy of life/worldview. Turn the tables on them and give them a dose of their own medicine!