by maddie rose

Created on: April 25, 2008   Last Updated: June 24, 2008

Headlines:
Newspapers, More Interested in Business Instead Doing the Right Thing

Way back in the days of the dinosaurs and horse drawn wagons, people depended on their newspapers. They also respected the newspapers and the publishers and reporters. They knew every article would be news worthy and worth the money, they spared to buy it. The front page had the important stories, which mattered, not fluff or silly pictures, which usually belong to the editor's relatives. The newspaper reporters stuck with the hard stuff and did not back down. The facts are what was reported and people knew it then, and it was again, respected.

Now, it is hard to find a meaningful front page and one which is not slighted. If it is not something ridiculous, or commercial, it is just out of taste. On top of bad editorials and news stories, which would not grace the lining of my garbage can, there is also the soliciting of the papers to your home. They will call, though they have knowledge of the National No Call List, but this has no effect on your local paper. Why this is, is a wonder.

It is not unusual for someone to cross over to an entrance to walk inside the grocery store and some student will solicit subscriptions for college, it is easily to feel sorry for him/her and they know it. But worse, when the paper calls you at home. An offer is made, you give a check number to receive the great deal for a limited time, you find you cannot resist. So, you give in, you miss the Sunday papers, even if you do not read the rest of them. You imagine, it will be nice to have a morning paper delivered after all.

Surprise happens, when there is no paper. And there is no paper for two weeks, though you did give information for your bank, it still has not arrived. Finally, you call, they say, "You should have called fifteen minutes ago, because now, they do not deliver after ten and why did I wait so long to call anyway?" I am informed I get a paper tomorrow. I hang up. In the old days, the carriers were to bring the paper out, should they have missed a delivery.

I call back and say, "I want to just cancel this anyway." "No problem." "Will it matter that my check has not gone through?" I ask. I am re-assured many times, before I hang up, I am promised it will be ok. They will not process my check. I thank them and hang up.

The next two days I get the paper and being honest, I call and remind them I do not have a subscription. The next day the check clears the bank, just in time to make one thing off schedule, at a cost. I call and explain. The whole story is said and still I get nowhere.

They say it is not their responsibility. They will not pay. They do not care. I hang up and wonder what happened to the newspaper in small towns that use to care about the circulation of their customers and the quality of their reputation.

It does not happen here.

If your local newspaper offers you a deal, consider the newsstand and hang up. Better yet, watch the CNN, it is more up to date than the local paper anyway.

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