Do you read the local newspaper?

[Mike From NIU]

I have a good trial rate from the Post, which is why I'm currently a subscriber. I save more money from the Sunday coupons and the Wednesday food ads than the subscription costs. However, the quality of the paper has turned notably worse just in the 1.5 years I've been here. The editing is extremely shoddy, the slant of the paper is growing even more lopsided, and I can't wait for them to "merge" (eliminate) even more sections of the paper. I will have to seriously consider the value when they try to charge me full price.

[EuroExpat]

I read the Sunday paper (Post) and any time we get that other paper for free (whatever its name is, the "republican" one). I actually prefer the latter for shorter stories and to get a different point of view. Also read the local papers.

[HarryLou]

Just a comment. I put the Examiner down for dog pee. Its politics aside, they throw it everywhere, and people leave it lay from week to week. It is legalized littering -- in this neighborhood at least. A different color plastic bag from week to week, what an eyesore.

[car54]

Originally Posted by Caladium

....I have a feeling the Washington Times may fold, but the Post will survive no matter how bad the economy gets. People like to hold newspapers, even if they do get most of their news online.

The Times will be around for as long as the cult leader, Rev Sun Myung Moon, wants to keep paying for it. He has spent well over a billion (with a B) dollars on it so far. The paper has never made a dime. I'm not interested in the Reverend's (or his minions') views on anything.

I take the Post...which most certainly has a liberal slant, but it also runs lots of well-written non-political stuff. The Post has gone downhill in recent years, but is still worth it's cost to me. I have to have a newspaper in my hands...I'm NOT going to drag a computer into the bathroom! LOL

[smithy77]

I read the Washington Post, the City Paper, and the Washington Blade. We're lucky to live in an area that has a decent daily newspaper. There aren't many left. I don't know anyone under 40 who reads newspapers-----they read these god-awful blogs. It's a shame.

[robbobobbo]

I read the Washington Post online, mostly for national - international. For local goings-on, I rely on the Alexandria Times and Gazette. I get local political news and events that way.

The Examiner is frequently in my driveway despite my never asking for it. I used to browse it, but now it goes directly into recycling.

[calitova]

Originally Posted by Mike From NIU

However, the quality of the paper has turned notably worse just in the 1.5 years I've been here. The editing is extremely shoddy, the slant of the paper is growing even more lopsided, and I can't wait for them to "merge" (eliminate) even more sections of the paper. I will have to seriously consider the value when they try to charge me full price.

I agree with this and it's a shame. After living in L.A. and watching the demise of the Times, I was excited when we moved here to have a "real" newspaper again. But just in the year-plus that we've been here, the paper has shrunk noticeably. And some of the sections have drastically declined in quality - Food, for example, used to have lots of recipes I wanted to try. Now it's just restaurant and wine reviews and a very few recipes, most of which I have no interest in. I guess that way they save money by not actually having to test the recipes.

And apparently they assume that no one here reads books. What major paper doesn't have a decent Book Review section? If there was a decent competitor, I would jump ship in a minute.

Anyway, back to the original topic, we do take the Post (for now) and also read the little local rags that show up in our driveway. We live in Great Falls and the two local weeklies that we get are actually pretty helpful in keeping track of what is going on nearby.

[ScranBarre]

I just started subscribing to the Washington Post a few weeks ago. I was reading it for free online at work but then told myself it was thanks to people like me who were, more or less, "stealing" their news that so many newspapers were going bankrupt, so I wanted to step up to the plate and ante up some cash to help keep the paper afloat. I'm glad I did. So far I've already used $10 worth of coupons! At this rate the paper will much more than pay for itself. I read the Restonian blog online for my community-specific news.