by Answers to today’s questions at https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/136284.html
1. Did the house where you grew up have a newspaper delivered regularly?
Oh yes, Mom and Dad always had a newspaper subscription for as long as I can remember. It’s actually one of my vivid childhood memories. It’d be dropped through the mail slot in our door at 4am every working day and Saturdays – I’d hear it a lot because I often had a migraine attack at that time and sat in the toilet throwing up/waiting to throw up and would hear the mail slot slamming and know it is now 4am and Dad would get up soon.
Back then, as a kid, it was Kansan Uutiset – a smaller newspaper with smaller circulation because is left leaning and I’m not sure I knew anyone else who subscribed it except for us. They all seemed to get Turun Sanomat. I’m pretty sure we also subscribed to the weekend issues (so only Satuday and Sunday) of Turun Sanomat which is one of the main newspapers here in Finland and also happens to be our home town one. After Dad died and Mom moved in with her current SO, at some point the left leaning newspaper stopped publishing every day and has been publishing only on the weekends for like 15 years or more now. So now they subscribe to every day Turun Sanomat and also to weekly Kansan Uutiset. Mom and SO still only subscribe to the paper newspapers – they don’t like digital for themselves.
2. Have you ever subscribed to an actual print newspaper?
An actual paper print newspaper? No. I could never afford it, and the few times I had spare money I could use for a newspaper or a magazine – I rather subscribed to a Star Trek comics from the US for a year, or a computer magazine, or some other comic. I could only do that when I had longer temp job (6 months minimum), so the last time was in 2007 or 2008, and even then I could only afford one subscription so had to choose carefully. I didn’t follow politics at all or even news that much before the 2008 elections (and what news I did follow, tv news were enough for me), so I didn’t ever feel the need for a newspaper and rather subscribed to something fun when I could. And then of course all the newspapers etc. have been online for a long long time with partially free content, so it wasn’t that necessary even when I did start following politics either. Oh, and the times I had a job, I didn’t need to pay for newspapers – perks of working in a library! I could read the newspapers the library got if I wanted to.
3. When was the most recent time you physically picked up and read a newspaper?
I don’t remember… Probably last Christmas when I was over at my Moms. I usually check out their print Turun Sanomat when I’m there. Very occasionally I also read a newspaper in a library. The most recent time I did that was in last July when I had to be away from home because of the noise of the bathroom renovations.
4. Do you pay for news online now?
I don’t myself because I don’t have the money to do that, but I’ve asked for a digital subscription to Turun Sanomat a handful of times for a birthday gift or some other gift since I started following politics and news after the 2008 elections. And the last few years, Mom and her SO have gifted me two months of the digital once a year because Turun Sanomat is doing some campaign like “buy a gift subscription for your loved one for this token price and extend your own subscription by two months!” or something.
I also sometimes subscribe to digital version of other newspapers myself when they make me a “get-to-know-our-newspaper-for-free” offer.
When it’s a birthday gift, the subscription is usually for 6 months which is just about the perfect length of time because by the end of that time, I’m getting sort of tired of “having to” read the paper every day or falling behind. The free “get-to-know-our-newspaper” offers are usually 4 or 8 weeks.
5. Do you have any saved newspaper clippings?
I’m… not entirely sure. I used to have a lot of clippings featuring my favorite movies, actors and tv shows but I think I’ve gotten rid of them ages ago. I might have some left at the bottom of some box or drawer…. If I do have any left, it’s more by accident than purpose.
