A Question About Your Reading Habits

[sp1814]

This question has been raised a number of times on the News section, and I'm curious to see whether there has been any significant shift since the last time it was asked.

Do you still buy a daily newspaper?

If so...why?

The Sun and Sunday Times are now behind paywalls. Do you pay to access their online sites, or do you still want/like a 'real' newspaper in your hands?

Lastly...do you buy a newspaper for something specific (eg. the crossword etc)?

[Maydup]

Certainly no use when you run out of loo paper.

[Maydup]

I read the newspaper at work everyday. If I didn't I would probably buy the i occasionally and at the weekend the Times for the arts sections and a paper TV guide.

[DaisyNonna]

I'm with you Mazie. Have a Kindle for holidays, now I have room for clothes, but love real books. Anybody got a spare book case?

[jno]

the thing about the internet is you can read an interesting article on the Telegraph website without feeling you've also contributed to the upkeep of a lot of their deeply dodgy columnists and ranters. I mostly get the Saturday edition for their travel section, which unfortunately has gone downhill since they sacked their previous travel editor; it's now full of advertorial promotions and celebrity blah. Their sudokus are to be avoided at all costs; I once did a Telegraph sudoku and was horrified to realise it couldn't be solved - that is utterly beyond the pale.

Nobody in the business knows what will become of papers. Most are deserately trying to "monetise" their websites but are rather stymied by the fact that their main competitor, the BBC, is "free", which is why newspapers spend so much time attacking it. Murdoch's probably making a modest profit from his, but at the expense of influence: people seldom say "did you see what the Times said today?" because you have to pay, unlike with the Guardian, so it's fallen out of the national conversation.

The FT and Wall Street Journal turn a profit with subscription-only websites, but they're niche products for moneymakers. The Mail has turned its peevish newspaper into a more relaxed celebrity-based website which has done well abroad. Everyone else is struggling.

[237SJ]

I tend to only read newspapers when I am at work. If I was retired and bored I would probably buy them. Sometimes I like a quick glance at the papers online but I prefer the sensation of sitting down and reading a page rather than looking at a screen. I wouldn`t pay to read a newspaper online.

[sp1814]

jno

Re your point:

"the thing about the internet is you can read an interesting article on the Telegraph website without feeling you've also contributed to the upkeep of a lot of their deeply dodgy columnists and ranters"

I'm afraid that's not strictly true.

When you go to a newspaper website, your access is logged and is recorded as a 'unique visit'. These unique visits are what online news sources use to drive up advertising revenue.

So when you click on a story on the Mirror, or Daily Mail or Guardian website, you are unknowingly contributing to their revenue, because those websites can turn to their advertisers and say, "Look. We have x number of thousands of unique page impressions...pay us a higher rate to advertise your product".

As my mum always said..."There's no such thing as a free lunch...unless you steal from the bins outside Burger King".

[seadogg]

The Independent i is 20p per day and 30 on Saturday. We enjoy the crosswords and puzzles and the standard of journalism is excellent. We get it delivered as we live miles from a shop so it helps the local economy a bit and finally it is used to start the woodburning stove. Wouldn't be without it.

[vodkancoke]

I buy the Daily Express every day including weekends.

Why? Habit, pure and simple. I read it up to the TV section in the daily paper(because sport fills the rest of it) ,then bin it (sorry,recycle it...:/ ) I only read half of the weekend paper because usually the last half is filled with sport and cruise deals which are of no interest to me whatsoever. I do read the weekend magazine which comes with the newsspaper.I like the recipes and interviews in there.

I always forget about online newspapers.I usually remember after I have bought the damn thing! lol

[jno]

sp1814, I counter that with an ad blocker. I cannot in all fairness refuse them a pittance when they've gone to the trouble of putting their content up on screen for me. Butr I won't read their ads, and sooner or later they will have the ability, if they haven't already, to see just how many clicks come from people with ad-blockers.

[sp1814]

seadogg

Out of interest - if you had a tablet device, and could get 'The I' (which I have read and enjoy) electronically, would you switch from the paper version?

[Zacs-Master]

I never bought a paper and, like you, find that my ipad keeps me up to date with what I need to know. I actually find AB very informative regarding news matters and am probably much better informed than I ever used to be. I occasionally look at. The Guardian on line, not for any political reasons but they have a pleasing layout and a good 'tech' section.

[sp1814]

Zac-Master

Ahhhh...yes...interesting. Some people go to specific newspaper sites because they're particularly strong in certain fields. The Mail is very strong on shiwbiz, but The Guardian and Independent have very good Tech microsites.

I'm sure there are others that have good sports subsites, but as I'm not a sports fan, I would not know what they are...

[jno]

they're faffing around with their layout again, Zacs - there's a Beta tab at the top of the page you can click on. It can't be more than a few years since they last redesigned it, surely?

[sp1814]

Ahem...'showbiz'.

[sp1814]

jno

Why, in 2014, they're sticking with what looks like Times New Roman as it's typeface is beyond comprehension.

[Zacs-Master]

Jno, that's the problem with people who have websites. They tend to over think things because they are constantly looking at it and become bored themselves. I also like the Guardian's motoring section.

[Zacs-Master]

Just had a look. Mmm. Not sure, it's a bit 'in your face'.

[maggiebee]

Only newspaper I buy is the Sunday Express and that's because I'm addicted to the crossword. No news as such in the paper, so I get news from TV or internet.

[jno]

the current Guardian headlines (online) are Georgia, I believe. I'm not sure about the new ones but they look similar. I don't think they're Times Roman. The body type is currently sans-serif; the new one looks like the Egyptian they had designed for the newspaper, but I don't know if it's exactly the same.

[mazie]

There is nothing better at 5am than sitting down with the crosswords, a strong cuppa and chewing the end of your pen... Great start to the day