New York Times Suggests 'Death' As Way Out Of Student Loans

Shortly after the Supreme Court invalidated President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan on Friday, the New York Times published an article suggesting six alternative paths individuals could pursue to obtain a cancellation of their student loan obligations.

"There are still plenty of ways to get your student debt wiped away," the article, written by Ron Lieber, begins.

"What follows is a list of ways to eliminate your federal student loan balance aside from paying in full," Lieber later writes.

In addition to exploring income-driven repayment plans, enrolling in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, pursuing government petitions for cases involving school misconduct and more, one of the ways — according to the original version of Lieber's article — is death. Under a now-deleted subheading titled "Death," Lieber wrote, "This is not something that most people would choose as a solution to their debt burden." 

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Following a backlash from readers on Twitter, however, the New York Times updated the article, changing the subheading to "Debt Won't Carry On."

That's a little dark, NYT pic.twitter.com/jJwr68c8x9

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 30, 2023

Here it is: https://t.co/1Db9AU3fQE

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 30, 2023

So.. @ronlieber is literally hinting that people could consider suicide to resolve this. How did nobody at the @nytimes go "oh yeah, we probably shouldn't put a highly triggering suicide-related suggestion in an article"?

— Wonkish (@captainwonkish) June 30, 2023

Biden had previously unveiled a comprehensive plan to address student debt, outlining a two-step resolution. The first step involves developing a new pathway to deliver swift relief to a broad range of borrowers. Emphasizing the urgency of the matter, the president noted that Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona had taken the necessary action to implement the plan.

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