Photo credit: NS Newsflash
Beyond the basic be respectful and well behaved, there were two rules in my house growing up that were completely nonnegotiable.
1. Do not use sidewalk chalk in the front yard
2. Do not touch the newspaper before dad
Fortunately for me and my two siblings, the back driveway was a lot bigger than the front sidewalk so #1 was not really a problem. In regards to #2, my dad wakes up earlier than most farmers so that did not tend to get us in too much trouble either. For as long as I can remember, my dad would read The Plain Dealer each morning, seven days a week. The Plain Dealer is Ohio’s largest newspaper. He has a meticulous system (that’s the accountant shining through!) and when he is done, the paper actually looks more precise and crisp than before he started.
I, too, love to read the paper. I much prefer it to watching news or reading it on my phone or the internet. I have my own system, although not nearly as precise as my dad. There is something magical about holding that paper in your hand. With a very reasonable tip, my delivery person even places the paper directly outside my front door so that it is safe from the elements and also perfectly obtainable when wearing slippers and a robe on Sunday mornings.
Earlier this spring, The Plain Dealer announced that it will continue to be published in print seven days a week but home delivery will be reduced from seven to three days a week beginning later this summer. They will also launch an “E Edition” that will be free to three-day home delivery subscribers and will be available for purchase by anyone else.
As faithful readers, we cannot help but to speculate that this is the beginning of the end to home delivery. First it was The Fumble. Then The Decision. And now, the apparent eminent demise of The Plain Dealer. How much more can a Clevelander handle?!
The Plain Dealer is reporting that these changes are necessary to keep up with the changing industry as more readers and advertisers move to online news sources. This change will also result in layoffs of about one-third of the newsroom staff. Cleveland is not the only city experiencing these reductions. It is actually faring better than most. Many other papers, like Seattle Post-Intellinger, Cincinnati Post, and Birmingham Post-Herald and have completely lost print editions of their newspaper. My dad and I are grateful that we will still have a printed newspaper seven days a week.
How do you prefer to get your news? Let me know by commenting below.
Great post.