For the first time in a century, the University of Southern California’s student-run Daily Trojan will no longer be daily.
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Less than a month before the spring semester’s presses would start up, the publication – which, according to photo editor Henry Kofman, is the only daily college paper in the nation – was hit with a sudden budget cut from the university.
“The managing team for spring 2025, who were just recently elected, sat down in a meeting that they had scheduled with Student Life and Student Publications,” Kofman told KNX News. “And in this meeting, essentially what they said is due to budget deficit, you're not gonna be able to pay any staff.”
Previously, editors were paid a stipend for their work, and writers received $15 per article – a small, but symbolic payment.
“It's always been like a fun thing we talked about in the newsroom, like, it's coffee money,” Kofman said. “But to get that payment for your work is still important and really just shows that they care about your work and are appreciating your work.”
More upsettingly for many students, USC officials also decided to reduce print from five days a week to three, along with cutting most of the summer edition.
The move comes as a surprise to many after student journalists at USC and UCLA extensively covered last spring’s campus protests against the war in Gaza, becoming one of the most reliable sources of information on the ground for mainstream media outlets across Los Angeles. In May, the Daily Trojan staff spearheaded a first-of-its-kind collaborative photo essay on protests at universities from coast to coast.
Campus public safety officers take a tent from demonstrators at USC's pro-Palestine encampment in May 2024Henry Kofman/Daily Trojan
While Kofman said there’s no reason to believe their protest coverage – which was often critical of the university’s handling of the situation – is directly linked to the funding cuts, he said it’s “a very upsetting time to be getting all this.”
“We really were working hard and working 24/7 for what was already pocket change,” he said. “And then the news comes. And I think everyone knows we care too much, that we're not gonna stop working necessarily, but it's really hurtful and really shows kind of where the university's opinions lie on this matter.”
Kofman said the Daily Trojan staff is doing everything they can to fight against the decision and negotiate with the university. A petition launched Wednesday night has already collected over 1,400 signatures.
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