# Please, quit using articles behind paywalls as your sources (mild) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 19, 2019, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481 "2019-09-19T05:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/21 "2019-09-19T13:15:10Z")
You get to read the title of the article, and if the information is that important to you, you can pay to subscribe. That’s actually how subscriptions work. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/22 "2019-09-19T13:19:51Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > On a related note, why does Google news do this? They have hundreds of sources for every story and yet they consistently show the one behind a paywall. Google is an advertising company. They are likely being paid by the sources to drum up business. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/23 "2019-09-19T13:30:05Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If we can’t post stuff you can’t read, you can’t post stuff we can’t read. Is that your habit in all human interactions? If someone can’t provide you free access to the full content of some communicative work–a film, a book, a painting, a sculpture, an article–you tell em to shut up about it? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/24 "2019-09-19T13:37:38Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I kind of agree if we’re talking about a hard paywall like The (London) Times, but every browser I know of provides a solution that takes two or three clicks at most to get through a soft paywall (including the one used by the Washington Post). > > For those who are unaware, you right click on the link (or tap and hold in a mobile browser) and choose to open it in a private/incognito tab. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Any website that works like that (my local paper is one), can usually be bypassed by right clicking on the link and opening it in a private/incognito mode. Wrong. The OP in [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21869556) thread links to a WaPo article; they prevent viewing in private browser mode, presumably since it’s doesn’t retain cookies & therefore easier for you to read over your allocation. It’s effort &/or beyond the technical abilities of some people to delete certain cookies from your browser. My solution, if I _really_ want to read something is that I have a couple of extra browsers (Tor & DuckDuckGo on mobile, SeaMonkey & PaleMoon on PC) that I only use for this type of thing. After I look at whatever I want to I delete all cookies/browsing history/passwords/etc. when I exit them. It’s easier to delete all than selective cookies & that way I don’t affect the cookies/signins on my primary browser (email, Dope, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/25 "2019-09-19T13:42:14Z")
Or you could pay for the services you are using. It’s $1 for the first month. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/26 "2019-09-19T13:52:29Z")
Yeah, sorry **Guin** : bad idea. Some of the most reliable sources of original reporting are behind soft paywalls, and I don’t think we should stop citing the best newspapers in the country just because some people might need to take an extra two or three seconds to use a workaround and read the story. There’s another issue, too. Some websites hide some, but not all, of their articles behind the paywall, and if you’re someone who has a subscription, it’s often impossible to tell which is which. For example, the _New York Times’_ recent 1619 Project is, I believe, available to everyone, whether or not you’re a subscriber. I subscribe to the _New York Times_ and the _Washington Post_, and if I need to cite one of them to support my argument, then that’s what I’m going to do. I understand that we can’t subscribe to everything. I wish I could justify the cost of a sub to the _Los Angeles Times_, but even a few bucks a week begins to add up if you have subscriptions all over the place. I do think that people should be mindful of paywalls when posting links, and should, where possible, either summarize the key points of the article, or quote some relevant sentences or paragraphs. And if someone else wants to finds a free version of the same news story, then by all means go ahead and post it. But I’m not going to stop using paywalled sources; doing that would be an explicit caving in to the obsession with “free” news that has helped so much to reduce the amount of high-quality journalism. There are good and reliable free sources of news. One is [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us). You’ll get a nag paragraph at the bottom asking you to donate in order to support their journalism (something I’ve done a couple of times), but they don’t paywall their articles. Public or quasi-public entities like the [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/) (UK), [CBC](https://www.cbc.ca/) (Canada), [ABC](https://www.abc.net.au/) (Australia), and [NPR](https://www.npr.org/) also often do excellent journalism, and make it available for no cost. Some content on these sites, especially video, is sometimes geo-fenced, meaning you can’t watch it unless you’re in the home country, but the text stories are nearly always available worldwide. Al Jazeera is free. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/27 "2019-09-19T13:58:11Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > It’s effort &/or beyond the technical abilities of some people to delete certain cookies from your browser. Some effort? I’ll grant you that. But “beyond the technical abilities”? Give me fucking break! I just cleared the _LA Times_ cookies from my browser, without deleting any other cookies or browsing history. It took about half a dozen clicks, and all of 10 seconds or so. And doing that gives you four LA Times articles that you can read before you need to do it again. Other soft-paywall newspapers work in a similar way. If you can’t go to that much effort, then you were probably never really very interested in the issue in the first place, and should probably just stay out of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/28 "2019-09-19T13:59:59Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Wrong. The OP in [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21869556) thread links to a WaPo article; they prevent viewing in private browser mode, presumably since it’s doesn’t retain cookies & therefore easier for you to read over your allocation. I’m doing it right now. I get the paywall screen in a normal window (unless I hit the “reader view” button in Firefox really quick), but I’m reading things fine in a private window. The link in that thread works fine for me if I open it in a private window. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/29 "2019-09-19T14:45:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Some effort? I’ll grant you that. But “beyond the technical abilities”? Give me fucking break! There’s a reason that consumer-based tech support starts with what should be quite obvious & stupid stuff first - is it plugged in?, is it turned on?, clear your cache., do you know _how_ to clear your cache?, please reboot. for the Level 1 drones that answer your call/chat first. The masses are idiots & going 4 menus down (Firefox) is beyond the technical abilities of a significant portion of the populace unless they are being actively walked thru it by someone & even then some will _still_ have a problem with it. > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’m doing it right now. I get the paywall screen in a normal window (unless I hit the “reader view” button in Firefox really quick), but I’m reading things fine in a private window. The link in that thread works fine for me if I open it in a private window. I can view the article in Chrome-incognito but not Firefox-incognito. Obviously there’s some difference between the the two browser’s incognito modes. Is there supposed to be a standard to incognito mode & if so, which one is doing it right? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/30 "2019-09-19T14:53:53Z")
Thanks to all who mentioned clearing cookies. Here is a link to how do it in [Chrome](https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+clear+cookies+for+certain+site&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS860US860&oq=how+to+clear+cookies+for+certain+site&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6199j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). As for YouTube clips, to get to the relevant part, [here](https://youtubetime.com) is a site for you to plug in the time where that part starts. Look closely at what this adds to the end of your clip and you can see how to do this without going to the site. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/31 "2019-09-19T16:01:36Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > If it’s really import for you to read the original source in a particular instance maybe you’ll decide to purchase one-time access. That’s how it was before the internet after all, only much less convenient. Actually, before the internet I usually went to the library where I could access a lot of newpapers/journals/magazines at no cost to myself for reference purposes. True, somewhat less convenient. There are usually ways to get around paywalls for one-time access, alternate sources, etc. Using the sources mentioned is the OP is not the end of the world which is probably why the OP themself marked it as a mild pitting. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/32 "2019-09-19T16:02:39Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Yeah, unfortunately they’re all still stuck on the antiquated 20th century model of subscribing to “the paper” and having the whole thing dropped on your porch. You either subscribe to the whole damn paper or not, even if you don’t use 90% of it. Really? Because I have an entirely electronic subscription to the _New York Times_, with nothing being dropped on my porch. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/33 "2019-09-19T16:10:04Z")
Can we also agree to only link to videos that don’t start with a ad? I swear, I get ads on about 90% of videos I try to watch on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/34 "2019-09-19T16:24:34Z")
I subscribe to the Washington Post online because I fund that I read their articles more than other sites’, and they’re doing a _lot_ of good reporting. I like to support that. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/35 "2019-09-19T16:58:36Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > The masses are idiots & going 4 menus down (Firefox) is beyond the technical abilities of a significant portion of the populace unless they are being actively walked thru it by someone & even then some will _still_ have a problem with it. First, if someone actually WANTS to do it, and is willing to take half a minute to read the instructions, it’s really easy to go “4 menus down” and clear your cookies. As I said, if you’re not wiling to make that level of effort, you’re probably not interested enough to be in the conversation in the first place. Second, in Firefox you don’t have to go “4 levels down.” If you go to, say, the _Washington Post_, and it tells you that you’ve used up all your free articles for the month, all you need to do is click on the little “i” in a circle, at the left of the address bar. A drop-down menu will appear, and after about two seconds, at the bottom, you’ll see an option to “Clear Cookies and Site Data…” Click on that, and it will clear cookies for the current page without touching any other cookies or browser history. Then refresh the page and, _voila_, there’s your article. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/36 "2019-09-19T17:12:07Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Can we also agree to only link to videos that don’t start with a ad? > > I swear, I get ads on about 90% of videos I try to watch on the internet. That’s tough since if you have an adblocker you won’t know the ad is there. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/37 "2019-09-19T17:19:41Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That’s tough since if you have an adblocker you won’t know the ad is there. I had no idea an adblocker could disable an embedded ad in a video. That might be what finally motivates me to install one. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/38 "2019-09-19T17:24:15Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I had no idea an adblocker could disable an embedded ad in a video. That might be what finally motivates me to install one. It does on youtube. I know I still get ads on my phone, but not on my computers with adblockplus or uBlock installed. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/39 "2019-09-19T18:10:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > At times I’ve wondered how much disinformation gets spread to the public on account of the fact that if you look up a story, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the LA Times are all paywalled, but the Washington Times, Breitbart, and Daily Caller aren’t. Because the NYT LAT and WaPo are all _unbiased_ and always print the truth. > **[What The New York Times' essay on Kavanaugh left out](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/09/18/brett-kavanaugh-new-york-times-sexaul-misconduct-allegations-column/2362125001/)** > > What did the essay tell me that I had not already read or heard? Not much, until the 11th paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481/40 "2019-09-19T19:40:35Z")
> [@Fleetwood](#): > > Because the NYT LAT and WaPo are all _unbiased_ and always print the truth. > > [New York Times’ smear against Kavanaugh shouldn't have been published](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/09/18/brett-kavanaugh-new-york-times-sexaul-misconduct-allegations-column/2362125001/) The quality broadsheets certainly fuck up sometimes. No news organization is completely faultless or beyond reproach, and I’ve seen a number of problematic stories over the years in theNYT and the WaPo and the LAT. The difference between them and the trash press like Breitbart is that the big newspapers have systems in place to prevent this from happening, and on the occasions when those systems fail, they are also much more willing to make corrections. When was the last time you say Breitbart of Fox News or the Moonie Times correct a lie or take back a trashy piece of sensationalist reporting? Your own link shows that the Times corrected the story in question. Should the story have been reported accurately and fully the first time? Absolutely. But this qualifies as a bad and unusual stuff-up for the New York Times; for Fox News or Breitbart, it would be just another Tuesday morning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-quit-using-articles-behind-paywalls-as-your-sources-mild/840481.md?page=3)