‘N.Y. Times’ Web Offer for Students Allows Alumni to Shake Down the Gray Lady

Has The New York Times’ “TimesSelect” service become an academic free-for-all?

Earlier this week, the Times announced that its online content for which readers must pay an unpopular subscription fee would be available free to college students, professors, and staff members who have e-mail addresses ending in .edu.

What the Times may not have accounted for is that many colleges offer their alumni free e-mail addresses that also end with .edu. Cheating, apparently, isn’t just for midterm exams.

“It’s an honor system,” said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com, in an interview with Advertising Age, a trade magazine of the ad industry. “And we’re assuming that the alumni of this nation’s colleges and universities have a thorough-enough education in ethics to keep them honest.”