Skip the Paywalls: Get Free Access to Major News Sources

Duke Libraries unlocks premium content, including games, cooking and research archives

Graphics show images of cell phones with the New York Times app and a tablet with The Atlantic displayed on it.
Duke Libraries began offering free online access earlier this year to both The New York Times and The Atlantic to current Duek staff, faculty and students. Graphics courtesy of New York Times and The Atlantic

When Lee D. Baker heard that Duke Libraries offers access to The New York Times online at no cost, he was excited about potentially saving $20 per month in subscription fees and thrilled about the archival access for historical research but worried about one specific aspect of signing up.

He fretted he’d lose all the recipes he’d saved to the account he was canceling – like this Vegetarian Mushroom Wellington.

“This is a great dish for vegetarians for Thanksgiving,” said Baker, a Professor of Cultural Anthropology.

With a little perseverance, the potential crisis was averted when Baker was able to save all his recipes to the new Duke-affiliated account he created. Now, he has no worries when he logs in to the historical archive to research how the science of race and culture intersects with law and popular culture.

“The New York Times is a valuable resource, and its historical platform is easy to use,” Baker said. “It makes you feel like you are reading the paper in 1892.”

Librarian Arianne Hartsell-Gundy said she’s heard positive feedback since Duke University Libraries began offering free online access earlier this year to both The New York Times and The Atlantic to current Duke staff, faculty and students.

“The library is here to provide people access to information, and this is a great way to be able to provide that,” Hartsell-Gundy said. “And we're also thrilled to be able to give people more opportunities to read and have access to different viewpoints.”

The New York Times all-access subscription includes everything the site offers – including games (Wordle, Spelling Bee and Crossword), Cooking, Wirecutter, The Athletic and more than 20 newsletters.

Staff, faculty and students also have access to The Wall Street Journal online through the Ford Library at Fuqua School of Business and the Goodson Law Library.

More information – including what to do if you already have a New York Times subscription or limited access account – can be found here.

Here’s what to do for The Atlantic Magazine and Wall Street Journal:

The Atlantic

  1. Go to TheAtlantic.com or download The Atlantic app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
  2. Click “Sign In”
  3. Under “Accessing a group subscription?” select “Duke University” in the drop-down menu
  4. Sign in with your NetID

The Wall Street Journal

  1. Go to wsj.com/Duke
  2. Enter “Duke University” on the “Activate your WSJ Membership” page and click “Search.”
  3. Follow the retrieved link for Duke and complete the registration form using your Duke email address.

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