Distribution Pulled Due to Budget Cuts at Paper

The Washington Post Company is halting distribution of its free and daily paper, Express, to news boxes on campus.
(Photo by C2M Executive Editor Kevin Loker)
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Patriots looking for Express, the daily and free commuter newspaper once distributed at numerous locations across campus, are now out of luck. Due to budget cuts and downsizing at The Washington Post Company – which Express is a subsidiary of – all news boxes have are being plucked from the George Mason University campus.

According to Express’ circulation department, Mason will no longer have dispensers because the paper’s circuit area has been drastically reduced; exact calculations of all Express cutbacks are still in the works.

“I liked the Express because it was free and you were given the opportunity to find out what’s going on [in] the news without having to go to the grocery store,” said senior government major Asia Odum, who read Express while en route to the Metro over the summer.

When asked whether other area universities were affected, Express circulation department was unsure whether or not specific universities and associated news boxes were affected like Mason.

The Express, best known for its bright yellow news boxes, was popular among Mason students for its short news articles, as well as for its area entertainment listings and puzzles.

“What happened to the Express?” questioned senior government and international politics major Billy Graessle.  “I want it back. Mostly for Sudoku, though. I read most my news on the Internet.”

Despite its absence at Mason, Express will still be available for free at the Vienna Metro station, as well as online.

However, now that the Express has disappeared, Patriots have been noticing green news boxes containing the weekly satirical newspaper The Onion in its place. Some students are not too keen on real news being replaced by fake “info-tainment.”

“I like The Onion, but I think they should have kept the Express,” said senior communication major Chanel Dority. “I think both are appealing to college students – The Onion because it’s entertaining, and the Express because it provides news in shorter pieces.”

Students and faculty are still able to purchase the full edition of the daily Washington Post at on-campus dispensers for 75 cents a copy.