For as long as I have been on the internet, I think the NY Times has been my home page. I know - everyone is going to have an opinion the the NYT is too far left, or too far right, etc. However, for me, I get lots of well written info I want on diverse topics in a readily digestible format.
However, as we all know, a couple weeks ago, the NYT started their paywall.
Some Kossacks have made their opinion known: Diary
However, I am not so ready to give up on the NYT and this has left me in a quandary for a couple reasons.
First, while I am sympathetic to journalists getting paid fairly for their work, the NYT already has many revenue streams: print, ads, etc. Therefore, while I can afford the cost if necessary, it will add up over time, and this is certainly not the standard rule on the internet.
Second, I really don't like the pay format. You get 20 free articles a month, then start to pay or get denied access. At least this would be true the first time. However, since the $15 will be billed every 4 weeks, there are then no free articles once you start paying. It is impractical to stop and start the subscription every 4 weeks. And, the NYT seems to have no interest in billing only after 20 articles are viewed each month. Therefore, if I view 20 articles per week, this means I am paying for 12-13 extra weeks per year, valued at ~$45 by the NYT. Multiply this by maybe a million subscribers, and the NYT is getting $45 million extra per year, just by setting up an unfair billing system.
So, what's the answer? I am trying other home pages, but I keep wondering back to NYT.
I am curious to know what others here use as their home page (besides dKos). Please list in comments below.
Also, I see there was a New York Times Link Club set-up. Does this work and can you use this to see more than 20 articles per month? If so, maybe this is the answer.
Please don't use this diary to argue the strengths and weakness of NYT reporting. That's a whole other issue.
Any other suggestions for the NYT addict?