Do you read a newspaper?

Posted on by Parul Thakur
The newspaper I used to read in Hong Kong
The newspaper I used to read in Hong Kong

Over the last year or so, VT and I have debated about the need to buy a newspaper.

I have been adamant and I am subscribing to one. My logic is that I can’t spend the time online digging for news around the multitude of distractions. A newspaper to me is an emotion. I have moved to Kindle for the lack of space but giving up on newspaper would kill a piece of my heart.

VT’s argument being that all news is available on apps and laptop. Practically, there is no need to pay for something that is free.

I have stuck to my ground till date. I read The Hindu, which has been in a bit of controversy recently. But that hasn’t deterred me.

What’s your take? Do you subscribe to one? Which one?

Writing for MicroblogMondays #238 after a very long time.

22 thoughts on “Do you read a newspaper?”

  1. I don’t subscribe to a newspaper however I watch the news 5 days a week. I agree that while news is readily available online, there’s too much distraction sometimes. 🙂

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    1. I never liked watching news. To me it was a chore. But then the newspaper eased out the pressure and made it easy for me. On distraction, well these days the newspapers are also full of adverts.

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  2. Newspapers are about habit, that’s all. I was brought up on the Pioneer, then switched to ToI along with a local paper during my working days, now it’s ToI which I abhor but have continued out of habit, and the Express which I love for it’s Sunday edition. I do get a lot of my news online too but the paper like you said is something I’m reluctant to give up.

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  3. I don’t subscribe to a newspaper, and I find it difficult to sort through all of the news available online without a subscription. I was terrible at reading the newspaper as a young person (I failed virtually every current events quiz, although I did make up entertaining stories about what I thought could have happened that earned me smiley faces but no credit). I mostly listen to NPR in the car on the way in to work, and feel that I am not getting enough local news. I see the value in the paper copy, the way it makes you stop and absorb one story at a time and have a dedicated time for news, I just do a terrible job of having a routine with it. I love your photo!

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    1. Thanks Jess! The quizzes were hard this side too but there was this science section that I used to love. I like what you said that absorbing the story one at a time. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  4. Such a good question, Parul. I notice that some news websites, especially those that print newspapers, require subscription fees too. When I first moved to Australia, I read and bought the newspaper The Age. Then I switched to reading it’s online version – the online version used to be free but now it requires a subscription to access the articles (though there is a way around this but can be a bit of a hassle).

    I agree with VT. News online is free, so why pay for it. These days I get my news and news links on Twitter and have a few websites I check out daily. However, sometimes weekend newspapers might come with additional sections or magazines which you can read online.

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  6. In our household, we simply cannot imagine life without the newspaper, so I’m going with you on this one, Parul. We subscribe to The Hindu and The Deccan Herald. In the mornings i always make it a point to spend 15-20 mins browsing through them. The Sudoku and the jumble are kept aside for the evenings when Arjyo is back home and we catch up with the days events or solve a puzzle together. Sundays become special when we (all 3 of us!) take turns to read aloud “Letter from a Concerned Reader” from the Hindu’s Sunday supplement! 😀

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  7. I haven’t read a newspaper in years. We used to read The Telegraph while growing up. It was one of my favorite activities. But now not so much. Frankly I hardly check news unless something major happens. I loved the puzzle and sudoku section… It’s fun to do them on paper rather than online.

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  8. So when I was in India, I was reading the newspaper because my parents still subscribe to it – TOI. I found the standard had deteriorated a lot. Here I haven’t bothered to buy newspapers and get my news online. Occasionally on weekends, depending on the coffee shops I go to, I might read the paper there but yeah, it’s mainly online

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  9. Newspapers were an integral part during my growing up years and I always used to spend time reading the newspaper even when I had my board exams. After I came to Bangalore, subscribing to a newspaper everyday wasn’t so feasible. So I used to read my news online but I wasn’t so happy. But it was a different story during the weekends when I used to go for a walk in the morning, eat some yummy breakfast and then buy a newspaper and go back to my room and read it. After moving to a rented place now, we have started subscribing to a newspaper.

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  10. I am with you on this. I too am not keen on the logic of why to buy a physical copy of newspaper when everything is available online. I don’t get a newspaper here because the delivery cost is high but in India, I used to get Deccan Hearld. Devoting half-an-hour every morning reding the newspaper with a cup of tea was sheer pleasure. To watch D attempting to read the newspaper on his own was another pleasure. And, a newspaper also serves so many other uses in addition. It serves as dustbin linings, shelf spreads in the cupboards, good cleaning aid to clean the glass table squeaky table, spreading them under the meal plates when eating on the bed. There is so much value for money for Rs. 1.50. I digressed from your theme. My vote is for the newspaper.
    I should also get back to write to shorter microblogs on monday. Lamba and literary likhne ke chakkar main monday miss ho jaate hain. It is another matter that this comment also became a microblog 😀 😀 😀

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    1. Comment hi blog se bada ho gaya. Ha ha! Jokes apart I can imagine your frustration with the cost. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Anamika.
      I love microblogs. They are a good way to share a byte sized thought/feeling/lesson.

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  11. We no longer get the newspaper, but in the age of too much information and distraction on-line, I start to wonder…

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  12. I stopped getting the paper some 8 years ago – just found it to be meaningless and depressing to read. Moreover the ad supplements and other such additions to it made for too much trash. Off late I stopped watching news channels too as they are loud overbearing and just making a racket rather than being informative.
    I get some news from Twitter but for the rest I tend to ignore – I seriously dont want to be that well informed anymore!

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  13. We are not subscribing to any newspapers now, instead we watch the morning news on our local news channel. It doesn’t have any negative stuff on it, neither do they analyze the news around. Pretty much the good old reporting which helps us to be informed about what happened. Newspapers lost its charm now due to many factors mostly the political factor, but growing up we used to subscribe to different newspapers – 2 malayalam and The Hindu. My father was a newspaper/news addict. We used to watch those English and Hindi news on Doordarshan every night. 😀

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