by Lisa Federico

Created on: March 09, 2010   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

Is there any use in buying the newspaper when you can get the news free on the web?

Why, yes, there is. I remember the days when I trudged to the kitchen to make a pot of tea, went to the front door to get my paper and then went back to bed with it - and my pot of tea. I would devour the paper, article by article, until it was time to really get up and get ready for work. 

The weekends and holidays were different. I would take my paper and my pot of tea, and some fruit and a bagel, and go back to bed for hours, or maybe out to the porch – in my bathrobe and slippers. I'd read everything, do the crossword puzzle, clip coupons. 

Heck, the newspaper would be a rag by the time I finished! In the process I was educated by the news, updated on current events, got a fix on the latest gossip, was entertained doing puzzles, and saved more than the cost of the paper by clipping grocery store coupons.

But buying the newspaper is so much more. Having it in hand is like my own private treasure – something special I simply must have each day, must take with me out on the porch, to the park, on a plane, to the dentist office, anywhere I have to wait where there are minutes or hours to indulge in reading. 

I can be kept occupied for a long, long time with the newspaper, and because you turn the pages like you would turn the pages of a book, you get the story start to finish without surfing off on tangents like you often do when reading on the web.

Although I am as guilty as the masses in succumbing to the pleasures of web surfing, I cannot read the newspaper on line. It's, somehow, not the same. I've tried, but it just doesn't work for me. 

Besides, carting the laptop around, as small as some of them are, isn't as easy as tucking the newspaper under your arm or into a tote bag … and you never, ever have to worry about your batteries getting low while you're in the middle of a story.

Further, when you are really, really done with the newspaper and you just don't need it for anything else – well, toss it out – hopefully into the nearest recycling bin. 

You can't do that with your laptop when the battery goes down and you've got three more hours to wait in the airport and a lengthy flight home – even though you might like to since it's become excess weight you're just dragging around.

Besides, unless you're using the local library or community center computers, having your own computer doesn't mean getting the news is free. You still have to buy the computer and subscribe to Internet service. Do a little research. What did you pay for your computer? How much to you spend monthly for Internet service? 

Compare to the cost of newspaper delivery, and don't forget the hefty and prized Sunday edition packed with advertisements, coupons, and various other inserts. You may not need delivery if you live close to a drug store, coffee shop, or news vending machine, and could save yourself a couple bucks that way.

I live within a mile of three different coffee shops. Every morning, not just on the weekends – every morning, all three shops are packed for hours with people sipping coffee and tea and reading the newspaper.

Because I have enjoyed my paper and cup of tea at all three shops on various occasions, I can attest to the pleasant atmosphere, the delightful peace and quiet – except for pages turning, and the lovely aroma of brewing beverages and the most definite benefit of buying the newspaper instead of getting it free on the web.

I rest my case. 

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