WSN Fund for Student Journalism

Support the Washington Square News

About

For more than 50 years, the Washington Square News has served as New York University’s primary independent student newspaper. Entirely student-run, WSN is led by an editor-in-chief and managing editor, and powered by more than 50 editors and hundreds of contributors.

In recent years, WSN has deepened its commitment to training the next generation of journalists, even as its editors and reporters lead aggressive coverage of NYU’s leadership and the decisions that affect its students, faculty and surrounding communities. During the 2023-24 academic year, WSN’s student journalists were at the forefront of reporting on historic campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. They provided breaking news coverage of demonstrations, student and faculty suspensions; lawsuits against NYU; and minute-by-minute updates of pro-Palestinian encampments and police sweeps.

WSN’s rigorous reporting continued into the following academic years, where student journalists have been dutifully covering NYU’s response to the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on higher education. Amid sweeping cuts to federal research funding, investigations into universities, the cancellation of gender-affirming care, mass suspensions following campus protests and mounting challenges for international students, WSN’s reporters diligently monitored changes affecting the NYU community.

Within weeks of the new administration taking office, WSN reported on the termination of federal research grants at NYU. We closely tracked how university leadership has responded to federal investigations and political pressure, particularly amid national scrutiny over campus dissent and free speech. Despite the personal toll many of these policies have taken on members of our staff, who often work upwards of 50 hours a week, our student journalists remain steadfast in their commitment to rigorous, independent reporting.

Our accountability journalism extends beyond breaking news. Across Opinion, Arts, Sports, Culture, Multimedia and our magazines, WSN provides a platform for student voices navigating a rapidly shifting political and social landscape. At a time when opinion journalism feels increasingly precarious, our writers have tackled issues ranging from research funding cuts and climate change to immigration enforcement, free speech, women’s rights, trans rights and the future of higher education itself.

WSN’s excellence has been consistently recognized at the national level. In 2025, we earned our third consecutive Pacemaker award from the Associated Collegiate Press, placing us among the country’s leading college newspapers for digital journalism. WSN has also been routinely recognized for its outstanding opinion writing, multimedia news reporting, and graphic design.

But WSN’s impact goes beyond what we publish. It is a hands-on laboratory for ethical, principled journalism. Our managing editors and section leaders mentor hundreds of students as they earn their first bylines, edit their first stories and learn how to hold powerful institutions accountable. WSN offers an education that cannot be replicated in an NYU classroom.

What is this fund?

This fund will establish an endowment to provide stipends for WSN’s top editors, with additional support for other newsroom leaders at the discretion of WSN’s 10-person managing board of students and alumni.

These leadership roles routinely require more than 40 hours per week in the newsroom, on top of a full academic course load. This fund ensures that WSN’s leadership reflects talent, dedication and vision — not financial circumstance.

WSN has long been a launching pad for incredibly accomplished journalists and newsroom leaders, with our alumni having worked at top publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, NBC News, CNN, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes, Vox, Food Network and many more. Investing in this endowment means investing in the next generation of journalists committed to truth, fairness, and accountability in an era defined by disinformation and political pressure.

This initiative began as an effort to honor the work and memory of Sarah Raybin Portlock, who was WSN’s editor-in-chief in 2006 and tragically passed away in 2017. Sarah's parents, Nancy Raybin and Bill Portlock, have made a generous inaugural donation to this fund. She was not only an accomplished journalist, but she also mentored and championed young journalists throughout her career. After WSN, Sarah worked at the Associated Press, Newsday, The Star-Ledger and the Brooklyn Paper, and was notably the Wall Street Journal’s day editor.

Since the start of this fund, over 170 benefactors have supported WSN, donating more than $60,000 in Sarah’s name. A donation will strengthen WSN’s institutional foundation, preserve its independence, and expand opportunities for future student journalists.

Left: Sarah in the WSN newsroom as editor-in-chief in 2006. Right: Sarah, 10 years later.

Sarah with Nathan, her brother, and her dad Bill.