End of an Era: Peace Corps Discontinues Newsweek Subscriptions for Volunteers

We've heard through the grapevine that the Peace Corps recently informed volunteers that it is canceling its subscription to Newsweek magazine. Peace Corps Volunteers have been receiving Newsweek on site since 1982. In an email to serving volunteers, the Peace Corps cited increased Internet access as the reason for discontinuing the subscription. The organization feels that since volunteers now have the ability to get news in other ways, the magazine no longer serves a fundamental purpose. The September 22nd issue will be the last Newsweek Peace Corps Volunteers received.

The cancellation has sparked discussion on Peace Corps message boards. While some feel that the decision makes sense, other returned volunteers worry that it is the loss of an important resource, one that not only provided a comforting connection to home but also could be used as a teaching tool.

What are your thoughts on the decision to cancel volunteer subscriptions?

Comments

[Mary Jane Haugen]

I served in Ukraine 2003-2005 and agree with the other comments. We had a computer club, but not only was it expensive, I felt that its use was conspicuous consumption. Nobody I worked with could go for more than an hour a week. The cost was the equivalent of several days food. And I too needed my weekly hour for contacting home.

[Bill]

I served in Jamaica in 2004-5 with my wife. Even though we were located about 10 miles from Montego Bay, getting there was always a chore and then we had limited access to internet; communicating with family and friends always took priority over pouring over news from the US.
Other than occasional BBC news reports on the radio, we had no contact with what was going on in the world. We relied on the Newsweek summary magazines to fill the gap.
The elimination of this can't be a major budget or cost drain and should be reinstated. The sacrifices being made by Peace Corps volunteers all over the globe should count for more than the savings gained.

[Lori]

I just COS'd in April 2008 in Paraguay, and I used every inch of every one of my Newsweeks for didactic materials in elementary schools or english lessons in high school. I cut up the photos for creative writing lessons, and if all else failed, made recycled paper out of the magazines for the neighborhood kids to write and draw on. Those magazines are a great way for volunteers to keep on top of current events (even with internet access in the cities, my precious minutes were spent talking with family!). What a shame...

[Chris]

I served in Panama from 2003-2005 and although email was accessible it took a 2 hour bus ride to get to it. Once there it was not free and I spent my time replying to emails from friends and family and not catching up on the latest news. I got my news by picking up the issues of Newsweek and taking them back to my site and reading while the rain was pouring down.

If the main reason to cancel the subscription is due to internet access, it is a horrible decision by Peace Corps.

[Kate Schachter]

Peace Corps DC seems to be forgetting that very little of the world has easy access to the internet. I was in Ghana from 2004-2007, and while Internet access was available by traveling >1 hour to the district capital (for a fee) or by traveling to PC-HQ in Accra (for free), the only place I could afford to spend time browsing the internet was for free - at PC-HQ. For many good reasons, PCV's were not encouraged to spend a lot of time at HQ, or traveling to district capitals unless for business.

I found the regular delivery of Newsweek a welcome and important tool. I often used the information as discussion tools in my community, and it was one of my few sources of information about what was happening outside my village. I remember being surprised and impressed that we were provided with these subscriptions after we swore-in, but very quickly I realized how important it was as a link to the outside world.

I think this is a bad decision, and at the very least, if they want to cut costs, PCV's should be given the choice to receive a subscription or not. I realize not everyone cared to get the copy, and many were left laying around the mailroom, or thrown away unread. But for those of us who did read them, they were very important.