Who actually buys newspapers anymore?

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BaBaFiCo@reddit

Not newspapers, but I spend about £300 a year on weekly, fortnightly and quarterly magazine subscriptions.

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I'm 26 and still get a weekly newspaper, the church times, it's nice to be able to sit down with a proper paper, a cup of cofee and read the weekly news, I don't know it just feels more right in some odd way than reading it on my phone.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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MissionDragonfly3605@reddit

But its a shame the print edition is now a luxury product

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BarnacleBulky1355@reddit

I like buying the newspaper!

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IAmTheDevilson@reddit

Not me. As I really dislike journalists. They lie , spread fear and war monger.

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Particular-Back610@reddit

Mostly old people naturally, many don't even own a smartphone.

I saw a film from the 60's and it had a scene in a bus, every single person was reading a newspaper!

Sales back then must have been insane.

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Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit

When I get the train to London from Manchester (or fly as that's now cheaper) I'll buy a couple of different newspapers read them both while sitting around waiting.

So that's 4-5 times a year.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

When I get the train to London from Manchester (or fly as that's now cheaper)

It really shows how messed up our rail system is when its cheaper to fly 200 miles between two major cities than it is to get the train.

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Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit

It's insane, I got told I had to go to London in 6 days. It was £150 cheaper to fly.

I went a week later and it was slightly cheaper to get train. Whole day took.about the same, but airport was much more relaxing as I got to chill.

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Academic-Bug-4597@reddit

It was £150 cheaper to fly.

A return train from Manchester to London is £109 so, no, it was not -£41 to fly.

If you have six days to plan ahead, you can plan to travel off peak. This way, you pay less, plus you avoid the carbon guilt of flying.

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Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit

I had 6 days notice to go for work to be in London for a 10am start meeting. What off peak time can I get that'll get me from Stockport to near Liverpool street to give me enough time to get across London from Kings Cross?

It was £250, I paid £100 return for a flight.

I went 5 days later and the train was "only" 186. Which on that date was £50 cheaper than flying.

Fucking wild to me whoppers like you exist and simp for fucking rail companies.

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Academic-Bug-4597@reddit

I had 6 days notice to go for work to be in London for a 10am start meeting. What off peak time can I get that'll get me from Stockport to near Liverpool street to give me enough time to get across London from Euston?

You either suggest a later meeting time, or if you don't have the power to move the meeting, you travel the night before and stay over.

Fucking wild to me whoppers like you exist and simp for fucking rail companies.

You have completely misunderstood. We are advocating for the environment and proposing environmentally-friendly solutions. The best solution in this case happens to be the train.

You could also share a fuel-efficient car with at least three others doing the same journey, which would also have a low impact, but I assume that would be less practical.

The reason you need to stop flying is because it is destroying our planet. It is not about rail company profits but about taking responsibility for your actions.

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Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit

"Hey MD,

I work from home, cheers for that by the way. Can you reschedule that company wide meeting of 100 plus people to accommodate my needs entirely. I know it is an all day meeting but I'd appreciate it if you could say, move it to 12-6pm so I can avoid peak hours as some plonker on the Internet disapproves"

And no, if it's cheaper I will fly. That's on the rails companies greed and I have no issue with it.

I am not driving my Hybrid Auris to central London. Ever.

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Academic-Bug-4597@reddit

"Hey MD,

I work from home, cheers for that by the way. Can you reschedule that company wide meeting of 100 plus people to accommodate my needs entirely. I know it is an all day meeting but I'd appreciate it if you could say, move it to 12-6pm so I can avoid peak hours as some plonker on the Internet disapproves"

As I already said, "if you don't have the power to move the meeting, you travel the night before and stay over" so your imagined conversation was redundant before you wrote it.

And reducing flying is not for my benefit, it is for the environment - a point you have spectacularly missed.

And no, if it's cheaper I will fly.

And yet you took a flight that was more expensive than a return train 😂

That's on the rails companies greed and I have no issue with it.

The rail companies don't set fares, the government does.

Not the sharpest tool, are you?

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knight-under-stars@reddit

And with a flight there is no risk of spending a portion of the trip stood up either.

What really gets me is the environmental impact is so much higher for flying and yet in the last year we as a nation have cancelled our biggest rail infrastructure project since the Channel Tunnel and have commissioned another runway at Heathrow!

Not a dig at you BTW, you'd be crazy not to save the £150, just a rant about the backwards logic-fest that is British public transport.

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Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit

No offence taken, it's fully ridiculous. My company will expense me for it, but the January trips 6th and 11th have still not been paid to me so £500 missing from my bank account is a lot

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Daveddozey@reddit

Getting a walk up ticket from Manchester to Heathrow for under £60 return, change at Crewe?

Flying might be a little faster, but it certainly isn’t cheaper.

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size_matters_not@reddit

You should, or at least pay for a subscription to one of the better papers.

The news media in this country isn’t perfect, but it’s a million times better for staying informed than links on FB or reading the headlines on Reddit.

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jelly-rod-123@reddit

I certainly wouldn't miss The Daily Mail & The Telegraph - deeply right wing & misleading

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NinjafoxVCB@reddit

Guardian as well, their reliability is as bad as the daily mail just on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

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PatriarchPonds@reddit

It really isn't.

It has its own shit but the Mail is literally the biggest traditional news source in the world (website) and its fodder is sex, scandal and outright lies. These are not the same.

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LOTDT@reddit

Absolute fucking nonsense.

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cazzo_di_testa@reddit

The Daily Mail is not classed as a newspaper or a trusted source by news organisations but The Gardian is. So you're wrong there.

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cloud1445@reddit

Hate to say it but it does seem true. Their editorial pieces are written by people who act like they've not left Islington on the past decade also.

I subscribe so I can support them, but only because they're the only left leaning rag out there. I'd still like them to be better.

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charminghoty@reddit

They're just clinging to the past, tbh. News is everywhere online, and often more up-to-date too.

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Silent_Frosting_442@reddit

Yeah, but presumably that'd be mostly online rather than a physical newspaper

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size_matters_not@reddit

Meant to say ‘digital’ subscription. Have edited.

A lot of newspapers have done this after realising giving everything away for free wasn’t sustainable.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

This sketch has held up surprisingly well.

I buy the Guardian every Saturday.

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r1Rqc1vPeF@reddit

Second time in a couple of days I’ve seen a link to a clip from Yes Minister that has ‘held up well’ https://youtu.be/NX45hc0aZt0?feature=shared

I remember it being on TV but was probably too young for it to mean much to me.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

Great dialogue.

I think a lot of it still holds up because it is actually about the civil service and the running of government - something which mostly stays the same whichever government is in charge.

Most of the episodes seem to be the civil servants doing their very best to make sure that nothing ever changes.

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arashi256@reddit

I give The Guardian website £4 a month or whatever it is, but I don't buy the hardcopy. Well, sometimes I do, but only on Sundays - The Observer - when I'm feeling particularly adult.

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Yogizer@reddit

I do the same. I would like them to have something like basic subscription of news only (like New York times) but since they don't I just go with the Support option.

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Ambiverthero@reddit

Indeed. And the daily telegraph is as mad as ever!

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Rubberfootman@reddit

I grew up with the Telegraph so I always thought it was a proper newspaper, but it is just as bad as the Mail.

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Ambiverthero@reddit

it’s quite unhinged at the moment. i use my library pressreader to have a look while we wait for the guardian to my delivered. i do so through my fingers. scary stuff.

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Tammer_Stern@reddit

I used to do this too, as I liked having the TV schedule for the week ahead and can record a recommended film. Recently I’ve found I can get the guardian via the press reader app for free.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

The TV section and the food supplement are most read here, and we do the quick crossword with a coffee on Saturday too.

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skippergimp@reddit

I was thinking the exact same thing.

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r1Rqc1vPeF@reddit

Used to buy the telegraph mainly to do the crossword (40yrs ago). Haven’t bought a newspaper in years.

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Suitable-Context-271@reddit

I try to buy The Guardian on Saturdays and I'm considering subscribing to Guardian Weekly.

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marxistopportunist@reddit

Imagine PAYING for the day's bad news

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modelvillager@reddit

I'm with you, but it is worth pointing out the lack of people willing to pay for high quality journalism is one of the reasons it is slop. A lot to unpack as to why though.

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snakeoildriller@reddit

If you're reading a Reach Group "news" paper, why pay for AI-generated crap and dozens of articles about "why British pensioners aged 66 3/4 should eat this everyday".

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PollingBoot@reddit

Mate, they would never run that headline.

It would be “why British people aged between 25 and 75 should eat this everyday.”

Maximise their hit rate

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Salt-Evidence-6834@reddit

Their print media has to be a more pleasant experience than their websites.

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snakeoildriller@reddit

The web sites are truly awful, and what's worse is that the number of "selected" third party hangers-on is getting worse. The other day I was on a site with 1,466 partners: a quick look at our local news web site states "NationalWorld and our 320 technology partners".

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Frosty_Pepper1609@reddit

Correction, imagine PAYING for YESTERDAY’S bad news

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pajamakitten@reddit

'News'

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marxistopportunist@reddit

Which is actually more distraction than useful news.

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Countcristo42@reddit

22.4 million homes pay tv licences funding the days bad and good news, most adults don't have to imagine!

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scoot600@reddit

I worked in newspapers for over 40 years and saw the circulation decline over the years. Covid realy was the last nail in the coffin of newspapers. People wante dto know, what the latest news was not what the news was yesterday.

I was made redundant at the end of 2020, when the plant I worked at was closed

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DualWheeled@reddit

I buy The I on really wet days to stuff into my boots when I get home.

I do usually read it first, but I don't buy it otherwise.

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Safebox@reddit

"I do because The Sun hasn't put Page 3 on their website yet." - my neighbour when I asked him why he still does

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Plenty_Ample@reddit

Travelers, and other people who are needing to kill time waiting.

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The0nlyRyan@reddit

I read the daily mail, they're always warning me about these... Travellers

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Plenty_Ample@reddit

Mentioning "Travellers" on a UK subreddit will get you a banhammer faster than a coincidentally emptied garden shed.

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The0nlyRyan@reddit

I'm already permanently banned from r/greenandpleasant, hoping the mods here have a little more sanity :)

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20127010603170562316@reddit

My local paper used to be respectable.

Then they got bought by Archant, and subsequently Newsquest. And now it's absolute dogshit. Their "journalists" all seem to be trainees and live over 100 miles away. There's nothing local about it anymore.

The only way I'd ever spend a penny on that rag is if I could do it all over a particular "journalist" I hate.

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quilp666@reddit

Covid killed my newspaper buying habit. Deliveries became late, sporadic and non existent. The only thing I miss is the daily crossword but there are alternative sources for them.

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zippyzebra1@reddit

I kinda subscribe to the Times & Sunday Times. I cancelled it 7 years ago but they neverdeleted my digital access so i get it for free. If it wasn't free i would probably buy the print edition a few times a week. I've always enjoyed newspapers throughout my life.

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wroclad@reddit

The only time I have ever purchased a physical newspaper was on August 31st 1997.

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299WF@reddit

I buy the Sunday Times every so often, more so I have something to put in my walking boots to make them dry out in front of the fire.

Top tip, newspaper stuffed into either end of a cardboard toilet roll thing makes for a brilliant firefighter.

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notouttolunch@reddit

I’ll be sure to try that next time I’m calling the fire brigade.

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confusedbookperson@reddit

I like the local paper, as it's a much more palatable format than the ad-infested local news sites, but for national news I go online.

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weirdchili@reddit

No but i take any free ones and use then to line compostable bin liners for food caddys, to catch and stop any liquids. And some various other bits. Never read them though

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andreirublov1@reddit

Somebody is still buying them, because they're still going. But not many, because they're in debt and struggling.

Actually I think my parents are keeping half of Fleet Street going by themselves...

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Old_Man_Benny@reddit

Boomers (The Me Generation), normally the daily mail.

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oudcedar@reddit

We used to decades ago, stopped mostly then decided to get the Guardian and Observer delivered every weekend. I love it - it feels very retro sitting on a Saturday or Sunday having toast then a full fry-up with papers scattered across the table between the bottle of brown sauce and jar of jam.

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Naive_Roof3085@reddit

I subscribe to a daily paper online and get the digital issue each morning and updates throughout the day. I got it for a New Reader price of £29 for the year but gave my location as Spain and they charged me €29. After the first year they said I could renew for £120. I cancelled and within minutes I got a discounted offer of £69.

I left it then a day later I got if you continue you can at the same price, so yes I paid in euro €29 for the year. I just download other papers and mags I want.

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Maximum_Scientist_85@reddit

I subscribed to Guardian Weekly until years of below-inflation payrises finally took their toll on my ability/capacity to buy non-essential items. I'll hopefully go back to subscribing to a weekly newspaper once the finances ease off a little. I don't really get time to read one every single day, but I could usually find time to read a weekly one, either on my occasional travels or just on a lazy Sunday.

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EverybodyLovesChaka@reddit

I buy the Guardian once or twice a week. I like the film and music section on a Friday, and the paper crossword, and just the general experience of reading a paper. Plus I feel better about not putting in for their online begging messages if I'm paying for a physical paper now and again.

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folklovermore_@reddit

When I used to work in PR/media relations one of my jobs on Monday morning was to go and get the weekend papers from the corner shop and then go through them to see if there was anything we could respond to (eg writing letters, submitting pitches for comment pieces etc). I also used to do the same with the Evening Standard when I worked in the civil service.

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Firstpoet@reddit

Financial Times is much better as a paper. Obviously checking stocks etc better via tech.

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Countcristo42@reddit

IMO checking stocks would be better done by carrier pidgin, harder to think the intraday movements matter that way (speaking as a non financial professional)

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Daveddozey@reddit

No dopamine rush in that situation though

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Countcristo42@reddit

That's part of the upside

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Pitiful-Eye9093@reddit

You couldnt even give me the free paper on the bus to read.

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Daveddozey@reddit

I pay for The Week, a weekly news magazine which keeps me abreast of developments, without the nonsense of online pressures to drive engagement. Also gives me a respite from screen time each weekend.

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Abstract_Pangolin@reddit

My MIL buys the local one. Don't know anyone else who does, though.

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EmotionalMachine42@reddit

I do if I'm moving house and need stuffing for fragile items in boxes. That's if I can't get them for free.

I'll go for the Financial Times if I have to do that, just because they seem to be more neutral. Would not support any red top newspapers.

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chukkysh@reddit

Hardly anyone, but the 24h news channels still devote an hour each evening to reviewing them. I used to get the Guardian/Observer every day, but it must be 15 years since I last got one. I miss sitting in a cafe with a paper, but the world moves on.

What's sad is that their replacement is so easily influenced by bots, foreign powers and bored troublemakers. It's like we're all living in a huge conspiracy theory.

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AcceptableProgress37@reddit

I'll lift the FT or Econ if I want something to read on public transport, otherwise never.

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Unlikely-Car846@reddit

I get a newspaper every Saturday and Sunday. The one I get on a Sunday is one you need to subscribe to online so I'd still have to.pay for it. Just love the feel of the paper and the magazines. Also still prefer books to ebooks- guess I'm just a Luddite!!

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Self-Exiled@reddit

News what?

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Lobotomy-in-Tesco@reddit

Lots of people, not nearly as many do now as did ten or twenty years ago but most small shops sell between, say, 12 and 60 a day depending on the size? More on a Saturday.