DPG Media offers students free digital newspaper subscriptions to combat fake news

DPG Media is providing free digital subscriptions to its newspapers for students at universities, colleges, and vocational schools. The offer is open to students aged 16 to 25, with the aim of keeping trustworthy news accessible to younger audiences. From Tuesday, students can choose a DPG newspaper to subscribe to, gaining online access to all other titles from the media company as well.

The offer covers Volkskrant, Trouw, Het Parool, AD, Brabants Dagblad, ED, Tubantia, BN DeStem, PZC, De Stentor, and De Gelderlander in the Netherlands. In Belgium, students can get free subscriptions to HLN/Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen.

“Most young people primarily encounter news through social media, which is full of fake news and has been shown to be difficult or impossible for them to distinguish from facts,” says DPG CEO Erik Roddenhof. “Well-informed young people are stronger and more critical in life and develop greater democratic citizenship. With this initiative, we hope to lower the barrier to quality journalism by offering news free of charge to students.”

To activate the subscription, students must verify their status by logging in via their school or university account. Once verified, they can access unlimited news on their phone, with only one device allowed per login. The subscription remains active for the duration of their studies.

DPG Media has previously provided 5,000 free subscriptions to people living in poverty and plans to collaborate with schools and universities in the future on news literacy.