Old fashioned printed newspapers
 

I am a news junky, if I have time I would read 2-3 papers/day. When I travel I love two read local papers, even small town papers to get a feel for the area and its people. Not a big fan of USA Today, except when that is the only thing available. When travelling I tend to wake early and so as not to disturb my family, I am out to find a paper. In London and Spain (so sad I don't speak/read Spanish) this Summer.

What are your favorite newspapers to read, not start fires or pack china with?

It is a shame the rags are running out of business or being consoladated these days, at least here in the States. I obviously love the internet but not at the expense of the printed page. Where would we be without the invention of the printing press? thereyet

If you are talking about newspapers in the US, this post would belong in the "lounge" as it really doesn't have anything to do with travel, sorry.

While traveling in Europe, my favorite papers to read are
Paris: I read a lot of them here, but especially Liberation, Le Monde, Le Figaro (prefer their weather and non-hard news sections to Le Monde) and Le Parisien

Spain: I read several here, also, but like ABC and El Pais

Czech Rep: Prague Post

I don't travel enough to other places to have many favorites. I only read Spanish and French well enough to read a paper. I do pick up IHT at times in Europe, but usually only if it's free at my hotel, as it's too expensive and doesn't have that much in it. But I prefer it to USA Today (which I will read if it's free). I don't go to the UK enough to have a real favorite there, but probably the Guardian.

For the past several months, every morning I step out my front door, bring in the newspaper, take the plastic wrapper off it, put in my plastics recycle bag, and move the previous day's unopened newspaper into the recycle bin, then set that day's fresh paper on the foyer table. The next day I repeat this operation. Finally this week, I cancelled the subscription. I figure it will save a couple of minutes every day, and reduce my recycles considerably, not to mention the $50 or so every two months.

Christina, I did debate with myself (difficult thing to do)about putting this in the Lounge. But as you can see in my post I am really interested in the areas I will be traveling to, I just didn't want to exclude interesting posts such as yours that might include other countries. I was also looking for EU residents responses.

You did bring to mind another good question I have. Do hotels often provide free newspapers? Or will they deliver for a fee? thereyet

London is still a great Newspaper town IMHO. Just go to your local news stand and pick up the one with the most intersting headlines. It's like a contest there and the headlines and "sales" stands are very interesting.

The International Hearald Tribune is probably avaialble in most major cities in Spain.

NeoPatrick, did you stop reading the paper because of the internet or consoladation or for some other reason.In the last five years or so, when I read several papers they tend to be canned reports. So few papers provide homegrown reporters these days. It must have to do with the money. thereyet

The International Herald Tribune is a sister paper of the New York Times. The content can be shared and similar, but there are some differences for local issues. (IMHO, the NY Times is the best newspaper in the US.) The IHT is much smaller than the NY Times, but does the job (you'll be busy, no?) It is sold worldwide, and is in English. It should be available in most tourist-traveled areas and better hotels in Madrid.

In London, I like the Guardian, The Times of London, and the Financial Times (also a news junkie.)

Some perspective: Like you, I read USA Today when it is "free" with the room, but usually prefer something else. (If you read the fine print in your hotel bill, this "free" paper sometimes comes with a 50-cent surcharge built into your room price.)

I should be clearer: you'll also find the IHT in London, but there are other good English-language alternatives that I like there. IT's my ace-in-the-hole in other parts of the world where I don;t speak the local language.

In Brussels, I read La Derniere Heure avidly. It's a tabloid, full of weird crime and scandal stories, also has very good weather page, with Saints days noted, high/low histories and little poems.
In the UK, occasionally I buy a paper, but not more than once a week and usually a lot less. My local Costa Coffee keeps the Daily Mirror, Express, and the other lurid tabloids on racks free for customers to read. So I indulge my guilty pleasure in reading papers I'd (almost) never buy.
For serious news, my husband gets free copies of the Economist, Financial Times (week-end edition), and Time (international edition) on Eurostar, so he brings them home for me.
Otherwise, I stick to the Internet sites for news.

MadameX, Thanks for the heads up on the IHT in countries where I can't read the language.

BTilke, I do like the wierd crime stories and scandals, but not the alien type stories in US tabloids. Fact checks and multiple sources always prefered. thereyet

To answer the reason for my own cancellation, yes, the internet has changed it. Our local paper is filled with page after page of ads -- mostly real estate. There are four to five entire sections in the Sunday paper for real estate alone. I have to go through a lot of pages to find the news articles. Meanwhile I tend to look at the NYTimes headlines in the morning, as well as click onto our local paper website for any local news. Much quicker and easier than dealing with all those ads.

NeoPatrick, as I thought. The papers have to resort to excessive ads to keep the price down for the dwindeling readership. I am affraid they will soon find annoying ways to make more money from the internet news sources. thereyet

Depending on where you are in Spain you will be able to buy most British newspapers, plus US ones that are a day or two old. They will be considerably more expensive than local papers.
Here in Holland I read the Volkskrant every day. When in the UK I read the Grauniad.
When on holiday I don't read a paper.

I agree with you that newspapers are an important medium. Charlie Rose was interviewing someone the other day, I think from the Washington Post, and he made the point that the print medium can explore the details of a story in a way that TV and the 'net can't do. Let's hope people still want the details, not just the bytes!
:)>-

In Europe I read the Interational Herald Tribune and the Sunday NY Times (available in most cities).

And - if it's business I have my computer with me and read all my local papers on line.

Agree the USA Today is a poor substitute for a newspaper - and avoid it unless I'm truly desperate.

Not only can you get the details but in a convenient package. I scan papers for stories of interest in just a few minutes. I can get lost on the net for hours and still not run across the story of a Judge in DC suing a dry cleaners for 65 million for losing his pants for a day! Turn the page in the paper and there it is. Plus I tend to trust what I read in the papers more then stories on the net. thereyet

One thing about reading the "local" paper...it can give one a sense of what it might be like to actually live in a particular place or area.

There is one location we vacation in peridoically and when we do I always wonder to myself what it would be like to live there UNTIL I read the local paper with its lack of world news, etc.

Dukey, are you refering to London or Spain?

I like to read the local papers also to find out about the church bizarres, music scene, street fairs, etc... that might not be easy too find on the net. thereyet

I always like to have a newspaper to read when I'm travelling. I like to keep up with what's going on in the world, I want to learn more about the country I'm visiting, and I want practical information such as the local weather forecast. A newspaper can be read on a bus or train, or in a café. If I'm in a country where I can't understand the language, I feel I'm missing something.
The more serious newspapers are actually easier to understand because they use fewer colloquialisms and deal with real news rather than stories about soap stars and celebrities.
In London and many other European cities, there are lots of free newspapers so a visitor doesn't even need to spend any money to catch up with local news and events.

We have free weekly papers that are often far more provacative then the average paper. Good writers who research well because they don't have a daily deadline. These papers are also the best source of happenings with adverts for all the clubs, restraunts, etc... thereyet

First of all, thereyet, I am exactly like you, and I have read newspapers all my life since I was quite small. Since I do read in several foreign languages, whereever I am, I'll read the newspaper, either in the local language, or, if the country in question publishes an English language newspaper-such as Cairo's Al-Ahram (the pyramids) or the Bangkok Post, I ALWAYS read that-but in addition the International Herald Tribune, which is not a sister paper to the NY Times, but is published jointly by both the Times AND the Washington Post.

In Scotland, I read the Scotsman, and the Scottish Sunday paper.

But in Italy, I ALWAYS read Il Gazzettino, the local paper of Venice (even here, on line, most days) Corriere della Sera, and La Repubblica-I have learned an enormous amount of vocabulary doing just that.

In France I read Le Monde, and L'Express.

Hi GypsyspyGirl, does Le Monde have an english language version? It seems I have used that paper as a source in my college years and I couldn't have read french myself. Maybe I had someone translate it for me. Regardless I am sure I will try and read a Spanish paper while I am there and the IHT will certainly come in handy.

Where is the IHT printed? I am not that interested in "old news" from US papers in Europe not to mention the added cost. Also I like to read the paper early in the morning. I had to pick my home delivery by who could have it at my door the earliest!
thereyet

Sorry, meant to say Gilrspytravel. thereyet

<i>For the past several months, every morning I step out my front door, bring in the newspaper, take the plastic wrapper off it, put in my plastics recycle bag, and move the previous day's unopened newspaper into the recycle bin, then set that day's fresh paper on the foyer table. The next day I repeat this operation.</i>

Patrick, you just said what I've been doing for the past 6 months! I'm so sick of our &quot;Daily Disappointment&quot; that all I do is transfer it from the driveway to my recycle bin. Our paper is 47th in the nation. I'm tired of writing to the editors.

I agree with Madame X.
I love my home delivery of the NY Times. It's not the same as reading on line, the pictures are not always there.
And you know what, I do not want people to lose thier jobs because you rather read on line.

There used to be so many newspapers of record. Such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Times-Picayune, Sacramento Bee, Dallas Star Telegram, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Etc... Now we are left with just a few like Chicago Trib, Washington Post and of course the NY Times.

Is there a similar consolidation going on in Europe? thereyet

And before I go to the land of nod, I want to say that the web is wonderful, but makes it too easy to avoid someone who needs words from somneone who cares in print. Letter writing is no more, how sad, we lost grace.

The IHT is no longer owned in part by the Washington Post. Just the New York Times. It is not &quot;old&quot; American news -- they're headquartered in Paris with offices in Hong Kong, and possibly other parts of the world. It is printed daily, regionally. They obtain much of their front page news from the NYT, but have features special to the IHT. For example, Suzy Menkes is their well-respected and renowned fashion critic, Patricia Wells their restaurant critic. It's an excellent paper for English-speakers who are travelling or living abroad. Not sure why someone posted that there's &quot;not much in it&quot; -- there seems to be plenty of content. Also, it's not really expensive -- unless you consider 2 euros expensive.

Thereyet, I'm not sure those so-called &quot;old fashioned&quot; newspapers are much different than the internet in terms of advertising revenue requirements.

My Fodors page <b>right now</b> has two ads on it and if you go someplace like CNN and suspend your pop-up blocker there is all sorts of advertising.

I often read the IHT when I'm in Europe; I get kinda tired of CNN &quot;business news&quot; on the TV.

Thereyet, as far as the UK is concerned, here's an old (about 30 years, so it's a little but not a lot out of date) guide:

- the Times is read by the people who think they run the country.

- the Financial Times is read by the people who really run the country.

- the Guardian is read by the people who think they should run the country.

- the Daily Telegraph is read by the people who used to run the country.

- the Daily Express is read by the people who think the country should be run the way it used to be run.

- the Daily Mail is read by the people who think their husbands should run the country.

- the Daily Mirror is read by the people who think the unions should run the country.

- the Sun is read by the people who don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big knockers.

I'm a Guardian man myself, so I'm biased, but I wouldn't put money in Rupert Murdoch's pocket (Times, Sun), the Mail is there to vent every petty suburban prejudice going, and the Express combines a vulgar version of the Mail's prejudices and every last Diana conspiracy theory going (don't ask).

My huge guilty pleasure in London is the Daily Mail. Juicy scandal without being as sleazy as The Sun &amp; I get a kick out of the irate letters to the Editor. I play the word games too.

No alien stories that I've ever seen. My friends here have me bring the Mail back &amp; they get passed all around to several people.

petitepois, I would call 2 euro for a daily expensive. Not that wouldn't pay it because as I said I am a news junky. thereyet

Patricklondon, I think I saw that list somewhere before. I love it. At first I thought this was going to get expensive. But yo gave a nice synopsis in the end so at least I will start with the Guardian. Also not a big fan of Murdoch.
Carrybean, I love the Op-Ed and letters to the editor.

thereyet

Thereyet-there actually IS a type of &quot;Le Monde&quot; English language news version on line, but it is a monthly periodical, and it is a subscription-

mondediplo.com/

Also, you forgot to name really one of the best newspapers in this country: The LA TIMES. If you do not read this regularly, you should; the LA Times reporters, unlike their East Coast brethern, and particularly on issues involving terrorism, get the information out there fairly accurately! They have broken a number of hard hitting stories. But the accuracy level in this paper's stories, this is a rare thing.

As for the New York Times, oh yes, I'm going to be blasphemous here-I'm NEVER liked it-I don't like their stilted style of referring to everyone as &quot;Mr&quot; Mrs&quot; &quot;Ms&quot; as in Mr. or Mrs. Clinton every few seconds-it SHOULD be &quot;Clinton&quot; or &quot;Blair&quot; -in other words, just use their last names, for god's sake! And often, their front page stories on breaking news are just plain IN ERROR-particularly on terrorism matters.

The Post? Well, let's just say that those reporters, like the Times reporters, get into bed too often with this or that government official in a &quot;you write something favorable about myself or my office, and I'll give YOU the reporter, exclusive access to an interview.&quot; This leads to a corrupting effect on the finished product in question, particularly when the government officials in question wish to act like &quot;thugs&quot; and destroy people's lives, they use the Times and particularly, those eager Post reporters in order to accomplish that...Other papers are maybe a little bit more reticent to accept what certain officials tell them as the absolute truth...

As for the Post not owning a share of the IHT, that's news to me. They still reprint Post editorials, so I assumed the same situation was in effect. But it is true that IHT does have unique articles, they are quite good on the arts, for example, you can learn what new exhibits and festivals are going on all over Europe in their European editions, and in Asia in those editions.

However, because they are owned by the Times, and include Post information as well, they too, are overly influenced by that East Coast, center of power, effect described above.

hi, thereyet,

I think that Patrick's clever list is from an episode of &quot;yes minister&quot;, but it's still pretty accurate, for being 20+ years old.

No-one has yet mentioned the Evening Standard - published every week-night in London - some national but mainly london news, plus listings, reviews etc.

Daily papers - The torygraph is probably the best for sport, as i seem to remember another thread from you about a cricket match, this may interest you. good writing and articles in the grauniad [known for its typos] and independent. Daily Mail to test you blood pressure.

regards, ann :d

&quot;As for the Post not owning a share of the IHT, that's news to me...&quot;

Guess you've been reading the wrong papers..wasn't it in the LA Times?????

Patrick: thanks for the list of papers. I knew there was a reason I liked The Guardian.

To be strictly accurate, &quot;Yes Minister&quot; was quoting from something that had been going the rounds for some years before that: it would probably have been some time after the Sun created Page 3 girls, so around the early 70s. In those days it would have been on a postcard or a tea-towel, nowadays it would be by email, of course.

I am a Wall Street Journal person and have occasionally run across a Wall Street Journal Europe that I like. I also read the New York Times on-line on Saturdays. I like the travel section. I have read one or two Guardian articles but will never read them after what I thought was an offensive stunt to affect the US election in Ohio. Though maybe I should be glad as it backfired.

Now I see where that comes from, if this Wikipedia article is accurate-however the IHT continues to run Post editorials, so the break is by no means complete:

In 1991, The Washington Post and The New York Times became sole and equal shareholders of the newspaper. It is now completely owned by The New York Times Company after it purchased the 50% stake owned by the Washington Post Company on December 30, 2002. The takeover ended a 35-year partnership between the two domestic competitors. The Post was forced to sell when the Times threatened to pull out and start a competing paper. As a result, the Post entered into an agreement to publish selected articles in The Wall Street Journal's European edition.