# Do You Pay for Your News? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064 "2019-07-14T13:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/1 "2019-07-14T13:52:21Z")
I read in the _Failing New York Times_ that paid newspaper readership (paper and electronic) is down 8% **on last year.** Frankly, I find that hard to believe. Nonetheless, do you pay cash money for any sort of newspaper? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/2 "2019-07-14T14:00:44Z")
I get my news from the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), either online or TV. As it happens an elderly friend gets a newspaper once a week and passes it on to me once they’ve read it. As I get it a few days after publication, I mainly look at the chess column, opinion pieces and puzzle page. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/3 "2019-07-14T14:34:35Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I read in the _Failing New York Times_ that paid newspaper readership (paper and electronic) is down 8% **on last year.** Frankly, I find that hard to believe. Hard to believe that newspaper readership is down _only_ eight percent? Because surely you’re aware that readership and circulation has been down for more than a decade. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/4 "2019-07-14T14:38:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Hard to believe that newspaper readership is down _only_ eight percent? Because surely you’re aware that readership and circulation has been down for more than a decade. I find it hard to believe that paid readership is down 8% in the past year. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/5 "2019-07-14T15:03:13Z")
No, except that I occasionally pick up my local Sunday paper. I can’t imagine ever paying for an online edition - you can’t even line a birdcage with it. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/6 "2019-07-14T15:05:30Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I find it hard to believe that paid readership is down 8% in the past year. Why? This has been the trend for 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/7 "2019-07-14T15:27:43Z")
When trump was elected, I decided that one of the few things I, personally, could do was to support the press. So I subscribed to several papers. I already got the WSJ and our local daily delivered in hardcopy at home, but I also subscribed to the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the NYT (for pay) and to NPR, Reuters, and al Jazeera (free subscriptions.) I’ve since dropped The Guardian, but I’m still paying for the others. My phone gets a lot of news alerts. That was a political decision, not a practical one, though. There’s plenty of free news available. I like having my hardcopy paper to read on the commuter rail, and to use as packing material from time to time. But I’d be okay with just NPR and Reuters for news. Hmm, I suppose I do contribute to NPR, and I suppose I’ve done that for years. Does that count as paying for the new? Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/8 "2019-07-14T15:54:48Z")
Nope. And never will. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/9 "2019-07-14T16:07:39Z")
Nope. I pay for my internet service access only. I will not pay or subscribe to anything on line. There is plenty of free news without paying for it. Gave up on the local print newspaper long ago and read it on line. Little tricks like limiting access to 5 articles have simple work arounds, just clear cookies and continue. Pay to read sites like the NYT do not have anything on them that can’t be found for free elsewhere. Putting up a pay wall is a good way to become dead to me. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/10 "2019-07-14T16:08:46Z")
Nope… I use a few news aggregate sites and can typically find a way around the dreaded “pay wall” if I really want to read the article. Or i search and find it at another source for free. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/11 "2019-07-14T16:10:28Z")
I subscribe to the NYT digital edition. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/12 "2019-07-14T16:37:09Z")
No ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/13 "2019-07-14T16:53:46Z")
Yes, I get the Washington Post online as well as the Sunday Chicago Tribune, which allows me access to the online site for free as well. I also get Barron’s ever Saturday. I’m looking around at all the magazines I subscribe to, I think we can kinda count The Atlantic and the New Yorker as news as well. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/14 "2019-07-14T16:57:10Z")
We get the local paper to support them, and we get access to their online editions. Which is great, but I’ll stick with Dead Tree Version for the Sudoku and crosswords. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/15 "2019-07-14T17:01:49Z")
No. > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Little tricks like limiting access to 5 articles have simple work arounds, just clear cookies and continue. Or open the link in a private tab/window. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/16 "2019-07-14T17:03:57Z")
We support the local newspaper, even though it’s become 4 day a week pamphlet for the most part. We also subscribe online to the NYT and possibly a couple of others. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/17 "2019-07-14T17:42:46Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Or open the link in a private tab/window. I tried that just now with the NYT in Firefox and they blocked it, specifically calling out the private window. So I tried it in Firefox in the clear and I read a few articles. I used Firefox because I normally use Chrome where NYT always seems to be blocked. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/18 "2019-07-14T17:44:55Z")
I still do because it is somewhat ritualistic for me - I like to read the paper over an early meal( either breakfast or lunch ). But I’m well aware it is a dinosaur habit which will likely be ended involuntarily by the demise of printed papers in the next decade, if not sooner. Also I need to supply one of my older co-workers with a steady stream of crossword puzzles to help keep him sane :). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/19 "2019-07-14T17:55:57Z")
No, there isn’t any one source which I find worth supporting with money. The only ones I won’t even think about supporting are the ones who somehow get into Google searches and then totally block you from the story unless you have a subscription. I’ll never go to those sites again. Other sites, I only read a story or so a month from each, and I’d also like some perks for subscribing like no ads, as much for the load times as for the aesthetics - ad block doesn’t speed things up all that much for me and they can detect it sometimes anyway. But no sites have passed the “quantity of reading” bar for me, and the only ones that come close are the NYT and the Guardian. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064/20 "2019-07-14T18:05:08Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I find it hard to believe that paid readership is down 8% in the past year. I don’t find it hard to believe at all. (And I haven’t paid for news in probably close to 20 years.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-for-your-news/837064.md?page=2)