The New York Times published “Home From College, Two Weeks Later,” on Sept. 9, 2026—a piece reporting on the growing trend of Gen Z students leaving college only weeks into their first term. Accompanying the story was a featured photo of a sprawling college campus, with students milling about among tan buildings and palm trees.
The photo, however, was not of a University campus where students have been going home in droves as Fall gets underway. Rather, it was taken at Santa Clara University, where students have yet to arrive for the start of their term.
The shot featured students bustling through campus outside Benson Memorial Center, and was accompanied by a caption reading, “Santa Clara University in California. Some students who left weeks into their first semester have expressed overwhelm and anxiety.”…