On Friday, we met with representatives from Student Life, the division that oversees Student Publications, which the Daily Trojan falls under. They updated us on the status of the paper’s budget and delivered some disheartening news.
Due to a large budget deficit within Student Publications and other cuts across the University, Student Life said they will not be able to pay anyone on staff for their work during the Spring 2025 semester. Additionally, our print schedule in Spring 2025 has been cut from five days a week to three days a week.
This decision was made without consulting the Daily Trojan’s student leadership in any capacity. Student Life told us, despite our objections, that their decision was final. We are disappointed in Student Life’s lack of investment in independent student journalism.
We know this lack of pay will pose a significant barrier to some of our staffers, so we are working with USC administrators, professors and leaders at other college newspapers to develop fundraising proposals.
To our readers, we are grateful for the support you have shown in comments, direct messages and emails, and for continuing to trust us as a news source. Your support is the reason we work every day to report timely and relevant coverage for the USC community and beyond.
We encourage you to share this post and continue to vocalize your support for our ability to control our budget and our future as a newspaper. If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating to support the Daily Trojan. Every contribution will go directly toward ensuring our staff can continue our mission.
Signed,
The Daily Trojan Spring 2025 Managing Team
