Rob and I have been discussing this for about a year now. We’ve weighed the pros and cons and given ourselves time to adjust to the idea. And now the day has finally come to act on what we know in our hearts to be the right thing to do. Yes, it’s true. We are not going to renew our newspaper subscription.
It may not be a momentous, blog-worthy turn of events to most people, but for us, this is a big deal! We have ALWAYS gotten a daily newspaper. I think for awhile there back in the early ‘90s, we even got two papers. And while we were still in California but had decided to move to the Portland metro, we subscribed to the local paper here. Although it arrived in the mail about a week late, it was a great way to learn about our new area and get immersed in what would become our local issues. And that subscription was symbolic to us that we were indeed moving on.
But now, six years later, we have DSL and WiFi and laptops that are as much a part of our living room décor as the throw blanket on the couch. We get our news from a variety of .coms and feeds on our Facebook pages. Meanwhile, our newspapers -- bound nearly year-round in two rain-resistant plastic bags -- accumulate in our garage. I am a tightwad, so I am determined to read every paper that we have purchased. So, I have marathon reading days where I catch up on all the printed news that isn’t new anymore. And practically every time I come across a story I think Rob would be interested in, he has already read it online. Reality finally thwacked me on the head about a month ago when I plowed through two week’s worth of election coverage…well after I knew the results.
It is so hard to let go. We truly want to support our local newspaper and the people who provide it. I have three friends who are news writers and photographers. One has been looking for work for two years after a layoff. Another has survived numerous layoffs but is now doing the jobs of about 5 people. He is grateful but utterly exhausted. While our decision to end our subscription wouldn’t directly impact any of these friends, I hate the thought of being part of the printed media defection that is putting their jobs at risk.
But we have seen our paper thin to what feels like a circular while the cost of delivery has fattened. Our recycling bin fills up with paper that could have been spared and plastic bags that inconveniently have to be taken to the grocery store. Our delivery person put a note in Monday’s paper (which I just found yesterday) announcing she is retiring. December 31 will be the last time she does a u-turn in our driveway between 4:00 and 4:30am, dropping our paper conveniently against our garage door, and giving me comfort on my insomnia nights that I’m not the only creature stirring at that hour of the morning. Our subscription is due to expire on December 27. The coincidences of timing and long-pondered change are too hard to ignore. Yep, it’s time to move on.
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