I subscribe to several substacks as well as the Atlantic, NY TImes, LA Times, Economist, NY Review of Books, Oregonian and Hedgehog. There are many more worthy substacks but I am restricted both by money and time. I used to think that for a left center folk like myself that the Economist would give me a view into the other camp. But now for better our worse we are in the same camp.
The Bulwark is welcomes to spew as much trash on my policy preferences as it wants as long as it opposes authoritarianism and authoritarians. That's all that's required for me to continue to subscribe. Nothing matters if we can't maintain democracy.
The top headline on WaPo right now is: Harris' brother in law is an advisor and a corporate insider; raising concerns about potential conflicts.
I did cancel my WaPo, but auto renewal happened two weeks ago, so symbolic only. I do not use Amazon. This story is quaint compared to what we will get. The capitulation continues. WaPo has a year to win me back to reset my auto subscription, today is not that day.
That is a disgusting headline. It is vague, unfair ,and my guess is that there is no true journalistic reason to use it, much less make it the headline. The facts if ever provided, will prove meaningless.
I too kept my WaPo subscription, though I was definitely tempted to cancel. After my initial outrage receded a little, it became clear to me that no only did I love and support the many great contributions of that paper (from Carolyn Hax, to Dana Milbank to Alexandra Petri to Ruth Marcus, and even, on occasion George Will), but if the Post failed it would be worse for the country, not better. I also realized that if I were able to wean myself off of other Bezos enterprises, specifically Amazon, it would be much better for me personally and the planet as a whole. It’s been really hard work trying to do this, but I already feel like I’m DOING something positive, which today is a really hard thing to accomplish.
I really hope that most of the folks that cancelled their subscriptions come back, and find better, more positive ways to vote with their dollars.
Thoughtful response and rightly so…. I too, thought about the Editor and the Reporters and the press’men’ and those who ‘mind the store’ from clean up on…. A N D I understand “cancelling”
I am “on line” and thought about it…. And didn’t…. See above…. The saddest and hardest thing is that Bezos had the POWER to do that and did…. Our POWER collectively is to VOTE and do what we can and THAT we are…. The Bulwark is a voice…. In the ‘letters to the editor’ in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, all 15 letters that they had room to print were grateful for ‘upfront’ endorsement of Kamala Harris, Australia!, North Carolina, California, New Mexico….. Philadelphia, NJ…
I’m really loving the new commie JVL 😁! It’s an excellent time to give Tim Snyder’s book On Tyranny a quick reread to freshen ourselves up on the next steps!
I've never subscribed to the Washington Post nor the LA Times. An option to receive the national news would be to seek out your public library's online options for newspapers. It doesn't replace the physical flip of the page, it won't include the entire daily newspaper and it doesn't replace scribbling down the crossword puzzle but it does still connect you to the news of our nation and it supports your local library. I do support a few independent news providers on my own but much of my reading is done via the library.
Cancel Amazon. Haven’t had Prime for 3 plus years. Yes it’s convenient but I’ll be inconvenienced to not contribute to environmental degradation and instant gratification culture. I practice imperfectly working through the false sense of consumer urgency our society promotes. Sure I’ve missed some great shows but there are work arounds for that too. I’d rather read anyway. Btw haven’t cancelled the Post yet but yes I have been tempted to cancel NY Times at times .
If he really feels restrained why not put some money in and spin it off. Then it will either prosper or go out of business. It’s possible that the DC area can’t support an old time newspaper when most ad money goes to digital platforms. NYC has a huge population base, even though it faces the decline in old advertisers like Macys, who are hanging on rather than thriving.
It would be great if some corporate entity would purchase the Post. As much as people don’t trust newspapers, and they should not trust any source but always verify ( as a former President once said), they do not trust Billionaires ( unless they have a proven record of failure). That’s a complex idea, but we certainly are a complex people.
Right now I'm a free subscriber, and I'm extremely grateful for that. Thanks. I'll be upgrading my membership at the first opportunity. You guys are doing a fantastic job.
"The catch is that it also matters how they achieve profitability. If revenues are dependent on advertising, then publications are driven not by ideas but an existential need for popularity."
Not just in journalism, but in every business. Indeed in every personal interaction. One of my biggest "Eureka moments" came 30 years ago in an article about job searching. The advice was look for a prospective employer that is "service-driven, not sales-driven." Immediately I saw the implied additional advice to also BE service-driven, not sales-driven, and have been trying to follow both parts since then. Service-driven means thinking long-range and win-win. Sales-driven means seeking instant gratification and playing zero-sum games. Trump is, of course, the poster child for the latter.
About canceling Washington Post subscription: I did but then I heard someone on Nicole Wallace saying that doesn’t do anything to Bezos—it’s just a rounding error. Instead you’re hurting the very Wapo journalists who wanted to stand up and do the right. Thoughts?
I think you should have included a reference to Josh Marshall and TPM. Virtually everything said in the above has been said by him on many occasions over the past two decades and he has built his organization on exactly the principles that you cite. Eventually the character of a democracy depends on the character of its people. Of/by/for. No structures can withstand the corruption of the people.
Agree wholeheartedly JVL. Good, fair journalism is essential in a democracy and I try to support it as much as possible. A huge reason that we got Trump in the first place is because our electorate is so badly informed. And it’s only getting worse!
I subscribe to several substacks as well as the Atlantic, NY TImes, LA Times, Economist, NY Review of Books, Oregonian and Hedgehog. There are many more worthy substacks but I am restricted both by money and time. I used to think that for a left center folk like myself that the Economist would give me a view into the other camp. But now for better our worse we are in the same camp.
Amazon was losing business for many years until it wasn't. People forget that.
The Bulwark is welcomes to spew as much trash on my policy preferences as it wants as long as it opposes authoritarianism and authoritarians. That's all that's required for me to continue to subscribe. Nothing matters if we can't maintain democracy.
The top headline on WaPo right now is: Harris' brother in law is an advisor and a corporate insider; raising concerns about potential conflicts.
I did cancel my WaPo, but auto renewal happened two weeks ago, so symbolic only. I do not use Amazon. This story is quaint compared to what we will get. The capitulation continues. WaPo has a year to win me back to reset my auto subscription, today is not that day.
That is a disgusting headline. It is vague, unfair ,and my guess is that there is no true journalistic reason to use it, much less make it the headline. The facts if ever provided, will prove meaningless.
I too kept my WaPo subscription, though I was definitely tempted to cancel. After my initial outrage receded a little, it became clear to me that no only did I love and support the many great contributions of that paper (from Carolyn Hax, to Dana Milbank to Alexandra Petri to Ruth Marcus, and even, on occasion George Will), but if the Post failed it would be worse for the country, not better. I also realized that if I were able to wean myself off of other Bezos enterprises, specifically Amazon, it would be much better for me personally and the planet as a whole. It’s been really hard work trying to do this, but I already feel like I’m DOING something positive, which today is a really hard thing to accomplish.
I really hope that most of the folks that cancelled their subscriptions come back, and find better, more positive ways to vote with their dollars.
Thoughtful response and rightly so…. I too, thought about the Editor and the Reporters and the press’men’ and those who ‘mind the store’ from clean up on…. A N D I understand “cancelling”
I am “on line” and thought about it…. And didn’t…. See above…. The saddest and hardest thing is that Bezos had the POWER to do that and did…. Our POWER collectively is to VOTE and do what we can and THAT we are…. The Bulwark is a voice…. In the ‘letters to the editor’ in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, all 15 letters that they had room to print were grateful for ‘upfront’ endorsement of Kamala Harris, Australia!, North Carolina, California, New Mexico….. Philadelphia, NJ…
I’m really loving the new commie JVL 😁! It’s an excellent time to give Tim Snyder’s book On Tyranny a quick reread to freshen ourselves up on the next steps!
I've never subscribed to the Washington Post nor the LA Times. An option to receive the national news would be to seek out your public library's online options for newspapers. It doesn't replace the physical flip of the page, it won't include the entire daily newspaper and it doesn't replace scribbling down the crossword puzzle but it does still connect you to the news of our nation and it supports your local library. I do support a few independent news providers on my own but much of my reading is done via the library.
Cancel Amazon. Haven’t had Prime for 3 plus years. Yes it’s convenient but I’ll be inconvenienced to not contribute to environmental degradation and instant gratification culture. I practice imperfectly working through the false sense of consumer urgency our society promotes. Sure I’ve missed some great shows but there are work arounds for that too. I’d rather read anyway. Btw haven’t cancelled the Post yet but yes I have been tempted to cancel NY Times at times .
If he really feels restrained why not put some money in and spin it off. Then it will either prosper or go out of business. It’s possible that the DC area can’t support an old time newspaper when most ad money goes to digital platforms. NYC has a huge population base, even though it faces the decline in old advertisers like Macys, who are hanging on rather than thriving.
It would be great if some corporate entity would purchase the Post. As much as people don’t trust newspapers, and they should not trust any source but always verify ( as a former President once said), they do not trust Billionaires ( unless they have a proven record of failure). That’s a complex idea, but we certainly are a complex people.
Right now I'm a free subscriber, and I'm extremely grateful for that. Thanks. I'll be upgrading my membership at the first opportunity. You guys are doing a fantastic job.
"The catch is that it also matters how they achieve profitability. If revenues are dependent on advertising, then publications are driven not by ideas but an existential need for popularity."
Not just in journalism, but in every business. Indeed in every personal interaction. One of my biggest "Eureka moments" came 30 years ago in an article about job searching. The advice was look for a prospective employer that is "service-driven, not sales-driven." Immediately I saw the implied additional advice to also BE service-driven, not sales-driven, and have been trying to follow both parts since then. Service-driven means thinking long-range and win-win. Sales-driven means seeking instant gratification and playing zero-sum games. Trump is, of course, the poster child for the latter.
About canceling Washington Post subscription: I did but then I heard someone on Nicole Wallace saying that doesn’t do anything to Bezos—it’s just a rounding error. Instead you’re hurting the very Wapo journalists who wanted to stand up and do the right. Thoughts?
I think you should have included a reference to Josh Marshall and TPM. Virtually everything said in the above has been said by him on many occasions over the past two decades and he has built his organization on exactly the principles that you cite. Eventually the character of a democracy depends on the character of its people. Of/by/for. No structures can withstand the corruption of the people.
Agree wholeheartedly JVL. Good, fair journalism is essential in a democracy and I try to support it as much as possible. A huge reason that we got Trump in the first place is because our electorate is so badly informed. And it’s only getting worse!