I’ve been a CNN reader for years. I just logged in a few days ago and now they want to charge for a subscription! Has that happened to anyone else. I like their layout, but I can find another one somewhere for free…or maybe that’s starting to end?
It’s not free but we signed up for the premium version of Apple News. Lots of variety and lots of content
I used to subscribe to a few on line newspapers but have switched to this version and I’m happy.
It seems like everyone has switch to a paid model. You would think with the pop ups and ads, it would be free.
I especially am sympathetic but the paid Substack subscriptions is over the top.
Saying all that, I’m a fan of trying to find news that is hopefully news…
1 Like
APNews and Reuters are still free.
I pay for NYTimes and WSJ. I can get both for free thru my town’s library on the pressreader app, but they are more cumbersome to read and there’s no search function, really just the daily paper, online.
6 Likes
I’m in the business. Online ad rates are much lower than print rates, and news organizations cannot sustain themselves on online advertising alone. Many news sites were free initially when they were seen as essentially a promotion of the print product, with online ads as gravy on top of still-robust print ads. But when the greater efficiency of the web completely destroyed classified advertising and ate deeply into display advertising, that upended the business model of journalism. Subscription revenue, which itself had historically been gravy on top of ad revenue, became all-important. So no, there’s no reason to think news should be free online, and more and more small and midsize news outlets will continue to go under in part because of that still-widespread assumption. Apple News does help, though not as much as direct subscriptions.
As for my own subscriptions, I maintain quite a lot: NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, Bloomberg, New York magazine, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Boston Globe, Vineyard Gazette, Air Mail, Puck, a few other newsletters and Substacks. (I get free access to my own employer but threw it somewhere into the mix to promote it to you guys.)
11 Likes
I’m still reading CNN for free. Just don’t log in
I also read BBC
6 Likes
I don’t have an account with CNN and it’s been limiting me to a certain number of articles per day, I think 5. CNN is not a site I am going to pay for, at least that’s my current mindset.
3 Likes
To my mind, PBS’s News Hour is the highest content-to-fluff ratio on TV, and if I were looking for a free source of news content online, I’d be on the News Hour site. I subscribe to the NYT digital version, and find it to be pretty good. I also have an ad blocker on my browser (uBlock Origin), which makes the internet far more tolerable.
5 Likes
Very helpful, thanks.
I’m happy to pay for a good site. It’s like streaming services on tv. I try to figure out the best bang for the buck
2 Likes
Isn’t CC the correct answer??? 
NYT for me and then updates here and there on social media from various sites I follow.
There are a couple individuals sub stacks I’d love to follow but I’m currently not willing to pay fees for that.
3 Likes
I’m just hyperlocal on news. The rest of it is too bad for my mental health. I figure if it’s something I really need to know about the local news will have it.
5 Likes
I like BBC.
5 Likes
I’ve become more sensitive to the echo chamber of the news especially when it concerns “alternative facts” based on unverified, unnamed sources. I’ve definitely become more concerned about the veracity of “news” that is based on flawed news. Sinclair which controls a lot of local news stations is a prime example.
4 Likes
I have online subscription to NYT ($1/week deal… when price goes up I stop for a while or call for a price break). Mostly I read the articles emailed to me but sometimes look at the online version. Also sometime have online local paper.
I check in with our 2 local papers and The Guardian for more global things. I have always liked that they put this on their site: You absolutely can keep reading for free - forever, if you like. You’ll never hit a Guardian paywall because we believe that unlimited access to reliable, responsible news is vital for democracy. But as a reader-funded operation, we do rely on people like you (yes, you!) supporting us when you see these messages. It’s what keeps us open for all.
Please consider supporting open, independent journalism - no dollar amount is too small, and it takes only 37 seconds (we timed it!). Thank you.
3 Likes
We pay for a Seattle Times online subscription. The paper has a good mix of local and national news and oftentimes reprints articles from NYT and other publications.
3 Likes
NYT, WaPo, and CNN although I’ve become disenchanted with CNN due to stupid clickbait articles, and generally poorer journalism. They do seem to have breaking news earlier than the other two, basically the only reason I still read it.
3 Likes
Just to clarify my local news is locally owned, not Sinclair or Clear Channel, or McClatchy, or Any other major conglomerate. Mostly I listen to a local radio station and read the news on their website.
There’s a local TV channel whose website I look at sometimes but mainly for weather. They are decent for a TV station but still too many bad news stories. They are locally owned also.
We also have NYTimes and Washington Post subscriptions but I don’t read the news on them too much.
I sometimes look at the BBC website.
Occasionally listen to NPR. I used to be a regular listener but it’s not good for my mental health .
2 Likes
Online the Guardian (I pay from time to time because I think they deserve it)and The Atlantic (subscribe). We get paper edition of the NYT on the weekend and can read on line the other days. I listen to NPR but never on line.
NYT and The Atlantic, long time reader of both.
1 Like
Smartnews. It’s free and customizable with my own preference.
1 Like