And a good Sunday morning to you! Today is a rare occasion – I actually have time to sit down and read the Sunday newspaper. Fine, except for one small matter – I no longer have the Sunday New York Times delivered to my home!
I usually don’t have the luxury of time to sit down, sip my coffee and read the paper – section by section, article by article. This morning I had the time, but alas no NY Times in my hand.
Reading the paper on-line is a different experience. There are some aspects of on-line reading that I prefer, some that I do not.
The newspaper on-line offers:
- Refreshed content – important for news items.
- Links. I can click to go to similar articles or source material. But… within 10 minutes, guaranteed, I am no longer on the NY Times website reading the paper. Now, I am probably off doing something work-related. I am no longer reading for pleasure.
The traditional paper offers:
- A tactile experience.
- A complete experience – I get to glance at articles that I might not have noticed on-line. Some I read, some I don’t. But… just being able to see the “grabber” headline” a visual and a few captions – I probably choose to read more of the Sunday NY Times content when I actually have the paper in my hand. I also notice more advertising with the paper.
- Portability. Yes, it’s funny but I actually find that the Sunday paper is much more portable. For example, I do not take my laptop into the bathroom to read the paper. If I want to continue reading outside, the paper is adaptable. If I take my laptop outside I never actually manage to read anything – the glare of the sun makes this impossible!
- A crossword puzzle that I actually enjoy solving.
- Lots of black newspaper ink on my fingers!
What is your preference – and why? Please share your comments with our readers.
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Hi Danny-
I’ve actually had this newspaper discussion several times over the years. Back when I did tv news and hosted a talk show, I would read five newspapers a day. How I miss that! There was just something about carrying all of those newspapers around and tearing scraps out to save for future reference of to bring up on my show.
But, now it’s very different for me. Since I’m no longer in tv, there is less pressure to know every piece of minutia going on in the world. However, I still enjoy it. On a day to day basis, I get my news online but on Sundays, I still get the Sunday NYTimes because I love just tearing through that paper. That’s actually what I’ve been doing most of the day!!!
Hi Mark –
Thanks for your comments.
For me, reading the actual paper on a Sunday is a very pleasurable experience. I also get a feeling of accomplishment when I have actually “finished” reading the last section of the newspaper.
I just don’t have the same experience reading the paper “on-line”. I never have the satisfaction that I have “finished” reading. I also feel that I have probably “missed” a piece of serendipity.
On the other hand, you could say that following those various “links” has led me on a path of serendipity!
It’s all about the “experience” and that is a very personal feeling.
Danny –
Thought I’d chime in on this one, I’m also a Sunday paper lover (although mine is the Chicago Tribune.) One of my favorite parts is that it can be a shared family event. My son is only 4, but on Sunday mornings, we sit around the table or cuddle up on the couch and go through the different sections of the paper. We could never have this experience with an online version.
Hi Marsha!
Thanks for adding to to the conversation.
I have vivid memories of sharing the newspaper s with my father when I was growing up in Philadelphia. He would bring home all three of the daily papers after work. There was only one cardinal rule – he read the sports pages before anyone else had a chance to do so.
Great memories!
When we got older and my mom and dad would go away on a trip. The children were instructed to have all of the papers that were printed while they were away lined up in date sequence for him to read when they returned.
My dad felt that unless he read it in a Philadelphia paper it wasn’t really news!
Reading the paper on-line is a solitary exercise. It’s fine for when I am traveling. But I still miss the experience of really “reading” the paper – if I have the time!