Do you subscribe to any online new source?

[kenny]

I don't.

I used to be able to see all the content on the top news sources free.
Now, since I'm not a subscriber, I get to see only maybe 10 articles per month, if that.
I'm considering paying for what I formerly enjoyed for free.
Of course nothing is free; actually it is/was paid for by ads that I had to look at, and I suspect by the new source collecting my personal surfing data (and perhaps even the content of my emails) and selling it to advertisers.
When online stuff seems free YOU are actually the product being sold.

If I subscribe to pubs like LA Times, NT Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal will I see no ads?
Are there levels of payment/subscription ... as in, pay more to see fewer or even no ads?
Do they collect and sell my personal info and surfing habits to others?
For instance, if I read or search for articles on skiing will I suddenly see ads for skiing when I'm on other sites or, even worse, get spam email about skiing?

The main reason I haven't subscribed is not the cost.
It's the perceived loss of privacy, and exploitation by this bold new Facebook-World of becoming the product when I just want to be the customer.

Fortunately NPR is still free.
My main go-to, BBC, is still free but they leave many stories up for days or even weeks, yes and some stories have been up for months.
I wonder whether subscription-only sites have more and fresher content.

 

[dk168]

Headlines come through on my new phone from an online source, however I seldom read their full articles.

I have a subscription for the online version of The Times and Sunday Times for years since I stopped buying their paper versions shortly after they turned from broadsheets to tabloids.

DK

 

[kenny]

Headlines come through on my new phone from an online source, however I seldom read their full articles.

I have a subscription for the online version of The Times and Sunday Times for years since I stopped buying their paper versions shortly after they turned from broadsheets to tabloids.

DK

Pardon me, but which Times?
There are many.

 

[elizabethess]

I don't personally subscribe, but do get certain news stories (including subscription-based) emailed to me through my employer's 'clips' service, so I suppose I do reap some of the benefits.

Post-election/inauguration I've noticed a marketing push on subscription-based news, suggesting that purchasing subscriptions financially supports more thorough journalist coverage and will be key in holding Trump accountable. Maybe! I sense a dash of opportunism there as well

Somewhat related: we stream tv (no cable) and for free news service I like Reuters. When you load it you're asked how much time you have to watch (10, 15 or 30 minutes) and stories are tailored accordingly. I also appreciate it's just the facts presented in a non-emotional, neutral manner

 

[siamese3]

NYtimes and Washington Post. There are different levels of subscription.

 

[Matata]

I just subscribed to online NYTimes because I kept reaching my 10 look see limit too quickly doing the Trumpet. I'm thinking about subscribing to the Washington Post also. I've got the basic subscrip to NY Times.

 

[ksinger]

Interesting how quickly we as a society, replaced the understanding that for the best news, you have to subscribe, with the assumption that news is free. Should be free, and paying for it is a bit of an outrage.
(Not saying that anyone here is exhibiting this, mind you. Just observing how times change)

Kenny, when you hit your 10 article limit, just clean out your cookies. New cookie, set to zero. It's what I do. Either that or access through a different browser on the same machine, that works too.

 

[kenny]

Kenny, when you hit your 10 article limit, just clean out your cookies. New cookie, set to zero. It's what I do. Either that or access through a different browser on the same machine, that works too.

Thanks but ...
For me, it's a moral dilemma.
Technology makes it easy to not pay for music, but zillions (the vast majority) download it without paying.
I've chosen to pay for mine.

Shall I feel differently about news?
Hmm.

 

[Maria D]

Kenny, when you hit your 10 article limit, just clean out your cookies. New cookie, set to zero. It's what I do. Either that or access through a different browser on the same machine, that works too.

Thanks but ...
For me, it's a moral dilemma.
Technology makes it easy to not pay for music, but zillions (the vast majority) download it without paying.
I've chosen to pay for mine.

Shall I feel differently about news?
Hmm.

I subscribe to two newspapers, The Boston Globe and one that is local to me. I get the Sunday paper delivered and that subscription comes with an online subscription. I clear my cookies when I reach the 10 article limit on sites that restrict in this way. It's a moral dilemma for me too, which I rationalize (right or wrong-ly) by the fact that at least I'm helping to support two newsprint media.

I encourage anyone that can afford it to support real journalism. John Oliver says it best!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq2_wSsDwkQ

edited to actually answer one of your questions:
With my paid subscription I can view a digital copy of the actual newspaper, complete with the ads one would find in print. When visiting the regular websites, I see the same ads a non-payer would see.

 

[VRBeauty]

I chose a digital subscription to the New York Times as my "thank you" gift when I renewed my contribution to my local NPR station. I'm not sure what level I'm subscribed at, but... I do get ads, on the right side of the laptop screen. They're not pop-ups though, and not obtrusive.

BTW I was surprised to learn that the cost of the subscription exceeds my contribution... so no tax deduction this year! I'm pretty sure the station pays very little for the subscription and still benefits from my contribution (which I upped when I chose this option) but I'll check next time I run into the acquaintance who is also the station's membership coordinator. In any event, by the time this subscription ends I'll have a good idea of whether the NYT subscription is worth the cost to me.

I also have a digital subscription to my local paper - a vestige of the days when I was travelling out of town a lot. I can't tell you about their ad policy because I generally read that paper in print, and when I do go online it's almost impossible to figure out whether or not I'm logged in. The paper hasn't fully embraced the digital world yet and its paywall is as leaky as a certain Northern California dam. (sorry about that)

Kenny - I listen to youtube a lot when dining out alone. I generally call up music that I already own in some other format, but not always... I'm not musically pure in that sense. It is something I need to look at.