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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Maggie Turner

Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor

Maggie Turner is a junior studying journalism and politics and a member of WSN’s editorial board. She enjoys late night dancing, Joan Didion’s essay “Goodbye to All That,” lox bagels and is convinced she’ll write the next great American memoir. You can contact her at [email protected] or on Instagram @maggietturner.

All content by Maggie Turner
(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Off Topic: OpenAI’s latest acquisition is merely to save face

The landmark investment requires cautious judgment as more AI companies look to reinvent their image.
Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor April 8, 2026

On Thursday, the screens outside the New York Stock Exchange were lit up with congratulatory messaging I rarely see on my commute home from the Financial District. Earlier that...

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

Opinion: NYU must reckon with its murky campus safety hires

Without proper hiring transparency, how can students trust those meant to protect them?
Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor February 6, 2026

Last December, an armed man broke into a building at Brown University, opening fire on students in the engineering building while they studied for their final exams. The man, a...

(Krish Dev for WSN)

Opinion: Mamdani is right to scrap NYC’s gifted program

Our city should look into more suitable alternatives that can offer top notch education for all students — not just those deemed "gifted."
Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor October 8, 2025

Growing up as a student in a Delaware gifted program, I was provided with a rewarding and engaging curriculum that challenged me in the classroom. This accelerated learning experience...

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

Off Topic: We can’t afford to prioritize AI in early education

The rise of private, artificial intelligence-powered schools pose a threat to the next generation of students and the development of their critical thinking skills.
Maggie Turner, Opinion Editor September 8, 2025

Stanford graduate MacKenzie Price founded the “AI-powered” Alpha School for her own children in 2014, bent on the idea that “education needed a revolution.” At the institution,...

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Remembering David Lynch: A legacy of dreams, oddities and love

A look back on a career full of surrealist imagination that changed cinema forever.
Maggie Turner, Deputy Under the Arch Editor January 31, 2025

“I always say, the film is the thing. The film is the thing. You work so hard to get this thing built, all the elements to feel correct, the whole to feel correct, in this beautiful...

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Inside the Boxd: Winter break watches

Inside the Boxd is a column documenting WSN staffers’ recent film reviews on Letterboxd. Grab some popcorn and get that watchlist ready!

The light at the end of a grueling, dark fall semester is a winter break free from academic responsibilities — and there’s no better replacement for lecture halls than a good...

The facade of an N.Y.U. building on 105 East 17th Street.

STEM gender gap smaller at selective universities, NYU study finds

Researchers are asking why gender-based disparities in higher education have improved at the country’s most selective institutions while worsening at others.
Maggie Turner, Contributing Writer December 9, 2024

Researchers from NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service found that more selective U.S. universities have a significantly smaller gender gap in physics, engineering and...

Four different illustrations of people in offices representing different fictional presidents.

Ranked: Presidents in film & TV

Instead of focusing on our current presidency, get lost in these fictional presidents, ranging from all-American to wholly unpolitical.
Maggie Turner, Staff Writer December 3, 2024

American politics can be tedious, boring and depressing to keep up with. So why not turn to Hollywood and indulge in their interpretations of different commanders in chief? From...

A collection of photographs pinned on beige boards on a white wall.

Review: Annie Leibovitz weaves together a tapestry of American culture

The free-flowing exhibition, “Annie Leibovitz: Stream of Consciousness,” forgoes her artistic controversies and welcomes her impact on portraiture.
Maggie Turner, Staff Writer November 20, 2024

Despite being known as one of the greatest modern portrait photographers, Annie Leibovitz is far from perfect. Recent interpretations of her work suggest her vision cannot accurately...

A man leans his head out through jail cell bars, touching noses with a blonde woman on the other side.

Review: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is wildly off-key

The follow-up to the 2019 smash hit destroys all credibility to the creators and narrative alike.
Maggie Turner, Staff Writer October 21, 2024

In 2019, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” captured a cultural movement, becoming the first R-rated movie to gross over a billion dollars, winning multiple Academy Awards and even garnering...

A collage of four books: at the upper left is Lauren’s Elkin’s “Flâneuse” placed on a light green background, at the upper right is Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” placed on a dark red background, at the lower left is Mieko Kawasaki’s “Breasts and Eggs” placed on a brown background, on the lower right is Annie Ernaux’s “Exteriors” placed on a dark green background.

Books beyond Bobst: 2 Japanese novels, a book of journal entries and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“Breasts and Eggs” by Mieko Kawakami — Alexa Donovan, Deputy Arts Editor At first, I felt silly reading a book called “Breasts and Eggs” on a crowded subway —...

A bride and groom, both with dark brown hair, are standing behind a wedding cake, with bride and groom figures on top. There are white candles and white flowers on two sides of the cake, as well as a wreath with white flowers behind them.

Review: On the perils of premature womanhood in ‘Priscilla’

Sofia Coppola’s newest film paints a vulnerable and overdue portrait of Elvis’ enigmatic wife.
Maggie Turner, Contributing Writer November 3, 2023

Based on Priscilla Presley’s autobiography, “Elvis and Me,” acclaimed director Sofia Coppola’s latest film “Priscilla” arrived in theaters Nov. 3. In a cultural climate...