Online Newspapers

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
I am curious to find out if anyone here or that you know has subscribed to a paid online subscrition for a newspaper.
Wanted to read an article in one of the major newspapers and found could get the heading and maybe first paragraph or sentence but needed a paid subscrition to read the rest.
One thing i used to enjoy about travelling especially to London was to spend some time on a weekend going through 5 or 6 different quality newspapers on the same day. It provided interesting different perspectives of the same story.
I can understand the change and move to online and even the need to have paid subscribers, i am wondering how this is being recieved.
Good quality journalism is not neccessary going to rear its head on a blog in my view at least at this point in time is my thought.
Anyone care to recommend any newspaper subscriptions?
Back in the day in SA i always wanted to have the FT (Financial Times London pink paper) delivered to me but cost/timing was a detterent.


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Yes and no. The cost of publishing has risen a great deal in the past 20 years or so. Plus newspapers are losing readers to the internet at an alarming rate. I subscribe to the free version of our daily paper but get only the lead in. My local paper has a online version plus automatic alerts to my cell phone but I pay for that subscription. But, you can find a lot of free news sources online. Fox news, Drudge Report and many others. A smart phone or wireless tablet can keep you reading 24/7. Stay away from Huffington Post, it's links freeze up my phone and computer. Yahoo has many links but some load so slowly they are not worth bothering with in many cases.
 
I receive both hard copy and electronic versions of my two local papers... purely for local news and events. National events are covered more extensively elsewhere online. If the paper offered only a digital version, that would be OK with me and I would pay for it. I can skim the news just as fast online as I do with hard copy. The only thing I can't figure out how to do easily with the digital version is print out coupons.
 
Print and on-line newspaper have become so subjective and the articles so arbitrarily chosen that I subscribe to none of them. All the local papers here have been swallowed up by the much larger paper and that was folded into a even larger out of the area paper. Thus my idea of what is local news is based on decisions made far outside of my area. They don't deserve my money. National and international news are easily garnered from all over the world on-line and, at this point, largely without cost. That has to change because costs have to be recovered from someplace. News is managed, particularly in this country, so it is always interesting to read another perspective from elsewhere in the world. This is my view and others can certainly take exception. My view here is not intended to start a verbal fire of words, so cool your jets if you choose to disagree. You are entitled to your opinion too.
 
I have to agree with Carol, most news and even TV news is all about ratings and sales that the quality is just not worth paying for and mostly depressing, well unless you're into MAD (http://www.madmagazine.com/). ;-)

I do scan the local paper, which is free and get news from some of the local community organizers. Also watch the crimes list the mayor's weekly email. I've also found the Business Journal is usually a pretty good source for local business news (http://www.bizjournals.com/), I don't pay for it though, we have copy show up here at work from time to time.

Sorry, not off much help.
 
I've given up on newspapers because they are so slanted and filled with lies.

I used to read three a day, USA today, Wall Street Journal, and the localpaper where ever I was living.


Now I just listen to talk Radio. Here inthe states, it is big. With about three or four fellows dominating the whole nation.

But they tell the truth about whats going on, although from a political angle vs. a business angle.

Online I've heard the Wall Street journal is reliable, but still seems like ???? to me.

Why not suscribe tothe London Financial Times online?
 
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Now I just listen to talk Radio. Here inthe states, it is big. With about three or four fellows dominating the whole nation.

But they tell the truth about whats going on, although from a political angle vs. a business angle...

The talk radio guys are no more or less truthful than the print media. All of them, without exception, are in the business of selling a product. It may be commercial time, books, videos, or website memberships, but they are ALL selling something. It may sound like the truth to you, but that's because they are telling you what you want to hear. They have no interest in telling the unbiased truth. They are only interested in promoting controversy and maintaining good rating numbers.

I also listen to talk radio, but I listen to the talking heads on both ends of the dial, and regardless of their political leanings, they all end up sounding alike.
 
I think a couple people I know, probably have some subscriptions to ones behind paywalls. (either by themselves, or work) For the most part, I haven't ever seen a reason to (either find the story elsewhere, or within a couple of days it is out). Except for local news, the local media tends to be slower. Otherwise, sometimes I hears news story's through other means.
 
I scan a variety of local news sources, but don't really pay for them.

Here's a tip for getting around your local papers online paywall. Most of them offer a certain number of 'free' stories per month or something. Use an incognito window and you can get around that restriction.

I used to like to pay for the local paper and would pick it up several times a week. Hard to believe but we have newspaper boxes way out here. But the paper just kept shrinking and it just wasn't worth the time to get it when it only took 5 minutes to read it.

Now I get my comics online :rofl:

What I find amusing is that some people don't think their favorite news source is biased at all, because they agree with the viewpoints expressed.

I personally believe that all media is biased, and that some are just more blatant than others.
 
The talk radio guys are no more or less truthful than the print media. All of them, without exception, are in the business of selling a product. It may be commercial time, books, videos, or website memberships, but they are ALL selling something. It may sound like the truth to you, but that's because they are telling you what you want to hear. They have no interest in telling the unbiased truth. They are only interested in promoting controversy and maintaining good rating numbers.

I also listen to talk radio, but I listen to the talking heads on both ends of the dial, and regardless of their political leanings, they all end up sounding alike.

I listen to talk radio all the time... it's great comedy relief from the real world.... especially Dumbaugh.
 
No newspapers here personally on-line or otherwise, the wife takes a local for the coupons. I gave up papers and TV when "Breaking News" seemed to always be behind by hours if not days. Besides, I get all the news I need right here :D

'Twins delivered by woodworker'

'Wild pool party in Nevada makes a big splash'

'Senior citizens day never gets old'
 
I have a couple of paid subscriptions, about all I have time to read, and, if you only have time to read one magazine, it should be The Economist. I buy the weekend edition of the provincial paper, about all I need, and the old ones are handy for starting the fire. :D
The CBC and BBC also offer a depth of analysis that you don't find in many online papers, and there's no charge. I run away from 24 hour "Breaking News", which is mostly filler, or trivial.
 
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There is an app (droid) with every newspaper in the world. WIthout time to read the local anything, I gave up trying to catch up on the world.
 
My local papers serve one good purpose not found elsewhere, and that is to report the activities of local government to include planning commissions and boards of supervisors meetings. These bodies make land use decisions that we all have an interest in, for example....my property is zoned rural residential which allows me to conduct a wide variety of agricultural activities without special use permits and other restrictions. The local planners are trying to create a new category that will limit those activities. Never would have known without the local paper. Your government will do sneaky stuff behind your back unless you keep your eye on them. Local papers are a good way to keep up.
 
My local papers serve one good purpose not found elsewhere, and that is to report the activities of local government to include planning commissions and boards of supervisors meetings. These bodies make land use decisions that we all have an interest in, for example....my property is zoned rural residential which allows me to conduct a wide variety of agricultural activities without special use permits and other restrictions. The local planners are trying to create a new category that will limit those activities. Never would have known without the local paper. Your government will do sneaky stuff behind your back unless you keep your eye on them. Local papers are a good way to keep up.

Our county is pretty darn good with sending out alerts (if you sign up for them) and posting about things on their website. I check it every day and it has really been a big help on a couple of issues.
Same issues you've had basically with the way our area has been zoned etc... The good part is that since I've been paying attention and attending meetings, I can now freely exercise my 2nd amendment rights on my own property.
 
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