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)?

[sp1814]

Just for clarity, I haven't bought a newspaper or magazine since getting my first iPad which was four years ago. Similarly, I've stopped watching the evening news, because there won't be anything on there that I've not read online.

How is it for you?

[DTCwordfan]

Yes, sp - It's the DT in paper for the crossword, puzzles and reading the sports. If the FT offered these in the same format/difficulty and thoroughness of sport reporting, then I would buy that.

[emmie]

not every day, and getting less so, sometimes the weekend paper, it has a crossword that has me tearing out my hair but i can't resist on the odd occasion. I like the Daily Mail at times because it sometimes has interesting articles, and i have neither the time nor the inclination to go back to a paper that is a bit more demanding, not to mention the cost.

[pastafreak]

No....I used to buy The Times religiously. Can't afford it,nor do I want to pay to see it online. With my tablet,I have access to many papers. Yes...the articles are condensed,but I still get what I need from them.
Sometimes I get the MOS...because I like the magazine.

[DaisyNonna]

Yes, still buy a daily newspaper. I like a real newspaper, more portable friendly than my lap-top and it does not freeze.
Specifically for Sport and crosswords.

[BlueToffee]

Although I do not support the Conservative Party, I buy the Torygraph every Saturday. I read around the biased news reports, but there are many exceedingly good supplements that go with it, including a weekly giant GK crossword.

If I buy a newspaper during the week it's always the 'i'

[sp1814]

Okay...now this is interesting....

DTCrosswordfan - I was like you. I used to grab the Daily Telegraph from the pile of papers at work simply to photocopy the crossword. But now that there's an iPad app which downloads just the crossword, I ignore the paper. If you were able to get the crossword delivered to you electronically, would you still bother with the paper?

[sp1814]

And emmie - do you feel that (at the weekends) there's something 'better' having a real newspaper to divvy up (like the Sunday Times with its 27 different sections) rather than something sterile and electronic?

For me, the whole point of the Sunday Times, is separating out the sections you don't care about (generally 'Sport'), leaving a pile that you will work through - normally taking about three days.

[jomifl]

It's such a pity that can't use the Mail online to light the fire.

[Prudie]

Not anymore (and I only used to buy a Sunday paper when I did).

[emmie]

i don;t have any fancy gadgets apart from mobile phone and that's too small to do a crossword on.

[emmie]

has a reasonably good tv guide, but i don't buy it every weekend and never a sunday paper, that's 1.50 and would be a waste.

[BlueToffee]

After 40+ years of marriage, old habits are hard to die SP1814

Mrs BT and I usually pick the paper up locally at around 7am, large pot of tea, and scramble our way through the mountain of newsprint.

At about 11am off she trots to the kitchen to make a Brunch whilst I consult AB for the answers in the crossword we've been unable to solve.

Incidentally, that's how I found AB.

[FredPuli43]

I take the Times and Sunday Times, paywall paid for. This means, prima facie, that my free hard copy is irrelevant but in practice it isn't. I can't find everything online that is in the hard copy, and, in some areas of information, the site is so poorly designed that finding some facts is very difficult if not impossible.

I also take the Guardian and the Telegraph, but not every day, and sometimes use their websites.

I don't buy any national for any specific section.

[DaisyNonna]

Wake up, put the kettle on, downstairs to collect the paper. Back to bed with coffee, pencil and eraser. One of the few perks of being retired.

[emmie]

BT, me too, i found it looking for crossword answers.

[sp1814]

emmie

Partially this question was promoted by my 23 year old nephew whom I took to lunch today. He told me that he doesn't know anyone of his age who read a 'real' newspaper. All his news is from online sources - either Huffington Post, the BBC, Sky or online newspapers.

Which lead me to think that we might be the last generation to buy paper-based news...in the same way that we might be the last generation to buy music on a physical format (CDs).

I have a younger nephew (who is 13) who has never read a paper newspaper or handled a CD.

[sp1814]

BlueToffee

May I congratulate you and Mrs BlueToffee on adopting the usage of 'brunch'.

I applaud any meal that can come between breakfast and lunch.

[Gromit]

I do not buy a newspaper.

I started to pay for the online Daily Telegraph, but the technology was duff so I now just empty my cookies every few days to get it for nothing.

I purchase Private Eye every fortnight because that kind of news is not available for free.

[emmie]

i expect that is why the papers don't sell as well, that more and more young people and indeed older people can access their news, sports, crosswords on line and don't need to fork out money for a paper that will go in the recycling bin the next day. I prefer news of the tv, net, its why the buying of a paper has got more irregular.