Author Topic: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?  (Read 8077 times)

MsGizmo

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Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« on: May 18, 2015, 11:47:54 AM »
I would like to be a well-informed citizen. Sometimes at work my colleagues will get into discussions about the latest events. I'm a government lawyer so I don't necessarily need to be in-the-know for work purposes.

I've been thinking about subscribing to The Wall Street Journal or the city newspaper, but hate to spend $30 a month on something I likely won't have time to read in the morning anyway. (I am a late riser and am constantly running late for work).

So fellow, MMMers, I'd like to know what ya'll do to stay informed, if you choose to do so.

« Last Edit: May 18, 2015, 12:19:59 PM by MsGizmo »

nealusc

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2015, 12:06:20 PM »
I subscribe to the Economist. It provides all the information I really want to know in order to be an informed person, without the sensationalist stories in most newspapers. It's where I get my science and Technology news, world news, political updates, and even book and museum exhibit recommendations. It always gives me something to talk about, too.

I have used airline frequent flyer miles to subscribe over the last few years, but I would have no problem paying the subscription fee. The value you get for the cost is incredible.

Jack

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2015, 12:19:36 PM »
I subscribe to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, my city's major newspaper. I get paper papers on Thursday and Sunday because that's when the ads and coupons come out (and also have 7-day electronic access, which comes with all subscriptions).

I mostly keep the subscription because I think they do a good job of local investigative journalism (for example, the AJC did the research to break the story on the Atlanta public schools cheating scandal), and I want that to continue to exist. However, I don't think I personally get enough direct utility out of it to justify the subscription price otherwise.

I do try to read it, but the electronic access is easy to ignore. I usually end up reading it on Sunday and sometimes Thursday. If they had a better Android app, that might be different.

MsGizmo

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2015, 12:21:41 PM »
I've heard great things about the Economist too. I follow them on Twitter and like the articles they post. One of my concerns is paying for news that I can get for free. Some sites like the Times and the Economist will only let you read a few articles before you have to pay to read more.

I agree there are intangible benefits to being informed.

MsGizmo

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2015, 12:26:59 PM »
I hadn't even thought about investigative journalism, Jack. You make an interesting observation. Oftentimes, city papers have relevant, local articles that major national publications won't have.

You also did a fantastic job of helping me focus in on the reason for my question: what utility is there in subscribing to newspapers?

As I mentioned in my previous comment, I do think there are some intangible benefits to being informed. For instance, in meetings, some colleagues will discuss about what other government agencies are doing and whether or not it could be helpful for our agency. To me, at least, these colleagues appear more well-rounded. They are able to contribute in meetings even if they don't have any direct experience. As a recent graduate, I struggle with this insecurity: feeling like I don't know anything.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2015, 12:31:08 PM by MsGizmo »

Dicey

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2015, 12:29:24 PM »
I subscribe to my local paper because I like to keep up with what's going on in my state/region/community. I am also a NYT Crossword and Sudoku junkie. I get my national and international news primarily via the internet. Does the paper suck? Yes, the old grey mare sure ain't what she used to be, but I still enjoy it, even when I don't read the whole thing every day.

nealusc

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2015, 12:41:31 PM »
I've heard great things about the Economist too. I follow them on Twitter and like the articles they post. One of my concerns is paying for news that I can get for free. Some sites like the Times and the Economist will only let you read a few articles before you have to pay to read more.

I agree there are intangible benefits to being informed.

This is a fair point, but I try to use my money to support or encourage segments of the economy that I believe are beneficial. I'll go to my neighborhood pet store before I'll head down the PetSmart to support local businesses. I am also aware of the ways to bypass the Economist paywall, but I want to support quality journalism. A world where the only news consists of pop-up ads getting in your way of lowest common denominator stories on Fox News or MSNBC is not a world I want.

If you are Fed in the US (as I am), and you feel like you are left out of the loop when coworkers discuss other agencies, then read Government Executive or The Hill on a regular basis. Those are where most high-up Feds are getting their info.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2015, 12:44:55 PM by nealusc »

Elderwood17

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2015, 01:02:16 PM »
I don't subscribe to the local paper or any magazines.  I get some free magazines from airline points (I fly enough for work to get some points but not enough on most airlines to ever get a flight) and occasionally use a magazine app but that is it.

Gimesalot

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2015, 01:52:29 PM »
You should check your library for access to local and national papers online.

Bardo

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2015, 02:05:42 PM »
I subscribe to the Economist. It provides all the information I really want to know in order to be an informed person, without the sensationalist stories in most newspapers. It's where I get my science and Technology news, world news, political updates, and even book and museum exhibit recommendations. It always gives me something to talk about, too.

I have used airline frequent flyer miles to subscribe over the last few years, but I would have no problem paying the subscription fee. The value you get for the cost is incredible.

Economist as well, for decades now.  That said, I'm thinking of not renewing it next time around.  It always leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed, like there's an obligation to read it, and to be honest I'm trying to become somewhat less well-informed, especially now as we head into the next election cycle.  It's better for my mental health to tune that all out. 

It's been so many years since I've done so; I can't imagine subscribing to a physical newspaper.





otter

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2015, 02:42:13 PM »
I get the New York Times delivered to my home 7 days a week. It's a non-trivial cost ($700/year, maybe?) but awfully hard to give up. I've been reading the NYT since I was about 10-12, and subscribing to it myself for 15 years. I read the weekday paper at lunchtime at work, and the weekend paper at home. Even a full digital subscription would cost something, and I'd lose everything I like about having the paper-paper, and I have full digital access anyway.

I spent years poaching my dad's copies of the Economist when I was a kid (The Atlantic, too) and subscribed for a while in my 20s, but stopped because I could never read the whole thing and it was rather expensive. It's a terrific publication, though; if I had to recomment one, that would be it.

Chris22

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2015, 03:01:05 PM »
I would like to be a well-informed citizen. Sometimes at work my colleagues will get into discussions about the latest events. I'm a government lawyer so I don't necessarily need to be in-the-know for work purposes.

I've been thinking about subscribing to The Wall Street Journal or the city newspaper, but hate to spend $30 a month on something I likely won't have time to read in the morning anyway. (I am a late riser and am constantly running late for work).

So fellow, MMMers, I'd like to know what ya'll do to stay informed, if you choose to do so.

Can you expense it through work?  A former employer would pay for a WSJ subscription for anyone that asked (delivered at work), and my current one offers online WSJ access through the employer homepage as long as you're on the company network. 

Trirod

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #12 on: May 18, 2015, 03:12:30 PM »
I second the Economist.  Subscription works out to less than $10 per month so cheaper than a newspaper.  It only comes once a week so more likely to actually read it.  It also has very intelligent journalism, with more of a world view than the daily papers we get here in the US.

I do also subscribe to the NY Times Mon-Fri (can get the weekend editions free on my iPad with the weekday subscription, so that's one way of making it cheaper), but I'm thinking of cancelling it since I don't really have time to read much of it, especially in the summer.

jackiechiles2

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2015, 03:31:48 PM »
I would like to be a well-informed citizen. Sometimes at work my colleagues will get into discussions about the latest events. I'm a government lawyer so I don't necessarily need to be in-the-know for work purposes.

I've been thinking about subscribing to The Wall Street Journal or the city newspaper, but hate to spend $30 a month on something I likely won't have time to read in the morning anyway. (I am a late riser and am constantly running late for work).

So fellow, MMMers, I'd like to know what ya'll do to stay informed, if you choose to do so.

If you go to the WSJ website and see a story you like, you can enter the title of the article in google and then read the story for free on Google.

forummm

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #14 on: May 18, 2015, 04:18:21 PM »
I pay $2.50 per week for the NYT. They send me the headlines every day as well (maybe 45 articles), so it's easy to go through and see which articles I want to read during the day. DW uses my account (allowed by the policy) and we pay about 2 cents per article. I think it's important to support good journalism.

relena

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #15 on: May 18, 2015, 05:28:31 PM »
we get the wsj through rewardsurvey. we haven't paid for it for many years.

vivek440

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #16 on: May 18, 2015, 06:07:38 PM »
You should check your library for access to local and national papers online.

I explored this but the problem is that libraries don't allow you to issue the newspaper, you need to read the newspaper in the library itself which doesn't work for me. I even asked the librarian if she can let me take the yesterday's newspaper home (These libraries anyway throw the old newspapers) but she didn't oblige :-(

As I am ok reading one day old newspaper as well, I find spending money on newspaper a waste! I am still searching for a free solution :-)


Carolina on My Mind

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #17 on: May 18, 2015, 06:24:50 PM »
I subscribe to the NYT online and have for several years.  I read enough of it that I find it worthwhile to pay for the subscription.  (I also cough up the annual fee for the crossword puzzle.)

lise

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #18 on: May 18, 2015, 06:39:53 PM »
I subscribe to the Sunday New York Times edition only.  I find it a relaxing hobby to read it in print over the weekend (since some of the sections are delivered on Saturday).  This subscription give me full digital access for articles I want to read during the rest of the week.  But normally I only check out nytimes.com if I hear of "breaking news" via social media or something.

MsGizmo

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #19 on: May 19, 2015, 07:35:49 AM »
Thanks for the responses all. I never thought to use airline miles to subscribe to the paper. I have just enough miles to use it towards a 39 week WSJ subscription but after hearing the rave reviews about the Economist. I'm going to wait until I get 300 more points to use my points for a Economist subscription.

LiveLean

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #20 on: May 19, 2015, 07:51:42 AM »
I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal as well as our local fishwrap.

I keep telling myself that I should just go with the online versions. Bottom line is that I wouldn't read them online. But if I have the paper on the kitchen counter while I eat breakfast and lunch (I work from home), I will read it -- and I do.

The WSJ has an interesting print ad campaign with prominent CEOs/entrepreneurs. They're shown reading the WSJ and the caption is something like, "He doesn't have time. But s/he makes time to read The Wall Street Journal." It's true. You can and should find the time to stay informed, especially as an investor.

Our local fishwrap keeps getting smaller and more expensive. I just-reupped for $180/year for home delivery, reminding myself that I first learned of two people I read about in that paper. I contacted them (one in 1998, one in 2010) and both became key business partners for me. Yes, the $180 is a lot, but when compared to what those two relationships alone have produced, it's pennies. Plus, I used to work as a newspaper scribe and I believe in supporting papers. Without them, business and government go unchecked, if they don't already.

As for the WSJ, it's pricey, but I manage to cash in frequent flyer miles from airlines I rarely use for a one-year subscription. I then get an expensive renewal, cancel, wait six weeks, and cash in more miles. It's not even many miles -- maybe 1,500 or so, which usually gets you only 12 issues of Money or Outside magazines.

AnAmericanAbroad

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #21 on: May 19, 2015, 08:14:14 PM »
One more vote for the Economist. I live abroad so read the digital version on my commute, and it's fantastic. It's the best journalism I've found, and I'm willing to pay $100 a year to support quality journalism. The writing is also fantastic, between the turns of phrases they use and the broad vocabulary. Almost every issue I find myself looking up the definition of a word, and after 30 years of extensive reading that is something I value.

Scandium

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #22 on: May 19, 2015, 08:30:20 PM »
Thanks for the responses all. I never thought to use airline miles to subscribe to the paper. I have just enough miles to use it towards a 39 week WSJ subscription but after hearing the rave reviews about the Economist. I'm going to wait until I get 300 more points to use my points for a Economist subscription.
Yes the Economist is pretty great. I found my favorite thing is the app with the digital version. You can listen to every article read out loud, by a British person! I used to struggle getting through it, but now I listen while walking the dog and while driving to work.

I got a sub with airline points, but turned out that was only the paper version. Now I get it as a Christmas present from my parents every year. They love knowing what to get me..

You also get the espresso app, with short headline stories every morning.

thriftyc

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #23 on: May 19, 2015, 09:46:17 PM »
nope

rocketpj

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #24 on: May 20, 2015, 01:06:29 AM »
Google news pretty much covers all of my interests (because you can create streams of news about anything at all, including your hometown or anything else).

I did an MA in Political Science and wrote my thesis on how political information gets communicated through media sources.  Part of my research was reading and indexing literally every single issue of the 2 national papers and a couple locals (Canada) over a multi-year period.  Analyzing every article on a range of topics and comparing them to other articles on the same topic.

When I was done two things had happened. 
1.  I had my fill of newspapers for life.
2.  Any time I do read one I get quickly annoyed at how obviously manipulative the slanting of any particular piece of information can be in a paper.  TV news is infinitely worse, but they all suck in my opinion. 

In other words, reading a paper is not equal to being informed.  It is a way to become informed of what the people who own the paper (and their advertisers) want you to know about and how they want you to think about it, and in a negative way it can provide insights into what they don't want you to worry your pretty little head about it.

Quote
For the real environment is altogether too big, too complex,
and too fleeting for direct acquaintance. We are not equipped to deal
with so much subtlety, so much variety, so many permutations and
combinations. And although we have to act in that environment, we have
to reconstruct it on a simpler model before we can manage with it. To
traverse the world men must have maps of the world. Their persistent
difficulty is to secure maps on which their own need, or someone
else's need, has not sketched in the coast of Bohemia.

Walter Lippmann, 1922

nealusc

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #25 on: May 20, 2015, 07:37:38 AM »
Thanks for the responses all. I never thought to use airline miles to subscribe to the paper. I have just enough miles to use it towards a 39 week WSJ subscription but after hearing the rave reviews about the Economist. I'm going to wait until I get 300 more points to use my points for a Economist subscription.
Yes the Economist is pretty great. I found my favorite thing is the app with the digital version. You can listen to every article read out loud, by a British person! I used to struggle getting through it, but now I listen while walking the dog and while driving to work.

I got a sub with airline points, but turned out that was only the paper version. Now I get it as a Christmas present from my parents every year. They love knowing what to get me..

You also get the espresso app, with short headline stories every morning.
Yeah the digital version is the way to go. I have received the paper subscription in the past, but I just got the digital version a month ago. The espresso app is a great way to start the day and I really enjoy the Economist radio.

Lynne

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #26 on: May 20, 2015, 08:20:49 AM »
You should check your library for access to local and national papers online.

I explored this but the problem is that libraries don't allow you to issue the newspaper, you need to read the newspaper in the library itself which doesn't work for me. I even asked the librarian if she can let me take the yesterday's newspaper home (These libraries anyway throw the old newspapers) but she didn't oblige :-(

As I am ok reading one day old newspaper as well, I find spending money on newspaper a waste! I am still searching for a free solution :-)

Larger libraries usually have a subscription to Library PressDisplay, which has lots of major newspapers from all over the world (current editions), and you should be able to access it online from home.  You might want to check into whether your library has that - it won't likely be listed in their catalogue;  look for their webpage about online resources.  Also if your library subscribes to an online magazine service like Zinio or Flipp, it may include the Economist.

vivek440

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #27 on: May 20, 2015, 06:12:45 PM »
Larger libraries usually have a subscription to Library PressDisplay, which has lots of major newspapers from all over the world (current editions), and you should be able to access it online from home.  You might want to check into whether your library has that - it won't likely be listed in their catalogue;  look for their webpage about online resources.  Also if your library subscribes to an online magazine service like Zinio or Flipp, it may include the Economist.

Oh wow.... I just now checked that my library also provides online subscription to newspapers and I didn't even know it !!!! Thanks a ton! This is going to be very useful for me!!

Lynne

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #28 on: May 20, 2015, 09:02:22 PM »
Larger libraries usually have a subscription to Library PressDisplay, which has lots of major newspapers from all over the world (current editions), and you should be able to access it online from home.  You might want to check into whether your library has that - it won't likely be listed in their catalogue;  look for their webpage about online resources.  Also if your library subscribes to an online magazine service like Zinio or Flipp, it may include the Economist.

Oh wow.... I just now checked that my library also provides online subscription to newspapers and I didn't even know it !!!! Thanks a ton! This is going to be very useful for me!!

You're welcome!  This is the kind of library service not nearly enough people know about (based on usage stats...I am actually in charge of e-resources at my library system), so I try to mention it to people when the subject comes up.  :)  Generally, if people don't use it, we'll lose it...I dropped The Economist from our Zinio subscription last year because its usage stats were terrible.

jackiechiles2

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #29 on: May 20, 2015, 09:34:17 PM »
Larger libraries usually have a subscription to Library PressDisplay, which has lots of major newspapers from all over the world (current editions), and you should be able to access it online from home.  You might want to check into whether your library has that - it won't likely be listed in their catalogue;  look for their webpage about online resources.  Also if your library subscribes to an online magazine service like Zinio or Flipp, it may include the Economist.

Oh wow.... I just now checked that my library also provides online subscription to newspapers and I didn't even know it !!!! Thanks a ton! This is going to be very useful for me!!

You're welcome!  This is the kind of library service not nearly enough people know about (based on usage stats...I am actually in charge of e-resources at my library system), so I try to mention it to people when the subject comes up.  :)  Generally, if people don't use it, we'll lose it...I dropped The Economist from our Zinio subscription last year because its usage stats were terrible.

I had no idea my library offered this until you posted about it.  Thanks !

MsGizmo

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Re: Do you subscribe to any newspapers?
« Reply #30 on: May 21, 2015, 09:58:02 PM »
Wow. My library offers PressDisplay too! Fun. Thanks for the tip. Too bad they don't subscribe to the Economist though.