Friday, May 27, 2011

Does that make me a Sucker, or a Helper?

I've been reading the New York Times for years.  I started with the paper version (read at work (bookstore) and then gently re-folded for sale), moved to the email version and most recently am loving the google reader version.  When they stated that they were going to start charging for access after 20 articles per month, I panicked a bit, and then started reading The Guardian as a form of protest.  As much as I do like The Guardian, it's just not the same, and I've been trying to find ways to sneak extra Times articles.

As I was blocked from looking at an article the other day, and I schemed to try to figure out how to get around it, (which really isn't that hard) I realized that I was basically wandering into that "cheap" territory that I despise so much.  I love The New York Times, and I don't want them to go under, so I should probably give them some cash. After all, I can cancel at any time.

But then, there's the other side of the argument.  Yes, the newspaper industry is in trouble, but is my $15 a month really going to make that much of a difference?  Is my $15 even going to support the newspaper, or is it just going to go to a greedy shareholder?  Does saying things like greedy shareholder make me sound totally paranoid?

It's tricky because I like to spend my money well and on things that make me truly happy, and not be a tightwad, but I also don't want to spend $195/year reading articles I can get for free with a little side-stepping.  Maybe I just need to suck it up, read my 20 articles, and stick with The Guardian for the rest though I feel like that's bound to effect my spelling at some point...

2 comments:

  1. The $15 doesn't make a difference, just like buying a newstand copy does. What makes a difference is the number of subscribers impacts advertising dollars, which do make a difference.

    I'm all for being frugal. There's nothing I detest more than excess, but I'm all for paying the price of admission, too. That said, I haven't exceeded my 20 clicks/month yet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like to think of it as voting with your dollars. You'll never really know where your $15/mo is going. And if you did, you would probably be disgusted.

    But you are entitled to what you want in life. If you are accustomed to a certain type of journalism, then why shouldn't you have? You could talk yourself into reading day-old papers by candlelight in the same clothes from 2008 if you wanted. But I think there is something for quality of life... says the woman who only buys organic berries.

    ReplyDelete