All the News that Fits, We Print
Today we got the New York Times delivered--hallelujah! And therein hangs a story.
When we went through all the steps in separating ourselves from Connecticut, I called the Times and canceled our Sunday subscription. (In spite of the relative closeness to New York City, we were unable to get daily delivery in Canton. Sunday only was all that was available).
The subscription lady asked why we were canceling and I said we were moving, so she asked if we would like to see if we could get the paper in our new home. I said, “you mean mailed the next day?” (I was imagining the pony express or something.) She came back and said indeed they had Sunday delivery in New Braunfels. I was incredulous but cautiously optimistic.
Well, after the third Sunday with no New York Times, I called to make sure that we were not being charged for the non-delivery of the paper. My complaint was so meek and mild that the circulation lady said that she would throw in three months of daily service for free. Daily delivery? Of the New York Times? In central Texas? In the spirit of “what the heck?” I agreed. The paper was to start on Thursday. Sure enough, Thursday came, and there was no paper. I was more convinced than ever that it was all a shell game. And then, today, Friday, as I took out Sammy for his morning constitutional, there was a plastic bag at the end of the driveway. Could it be…no, no way. There is no way I am really going to get a daily Times here in central Texas. And then I opened the bag. Hallelujah, indeed!
My children say that I just like the Times because of its liberal editorial bias, which is only half right. I like the New York Times for its coverage of news. Today’s edition contains stories about the first proposed capital punishment in New Hampshire in over half a century, a list of all the big donors to the Clinton Foundation, and a story about the first ever human rights declaration to decriminalize homosexuality debated at the United Nations. Sixty six countries supported the declaration. Sadly, the United States was not one of them, joining with Russia, China, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposition. That’s the kind of story I think will probably not appear in our local paper. Don’t get me wrong—I am a big supporter of local papers, and I am sure we will soon get around to subscribing to the New Braunfels Herald Zeitung. I don’t think, however, it will ever become a major source for us for news.
Today we got the New York Times delivered--hallelujah! And therein hangs a story.
When we went through all the steps in separating ourselves from Connecticut, I called the Times and canceled our Sunday subscription. (In spite of the relative closeness to New York City, we were unable to get daily delivery in Canton. Sunday only was all that was available).
The subscription lady asked why we were canceling and I said we were moving, so she asked if we would like to see if we could get the paper in our new home. I said, “you mean mailed the next day?” (I was imagining the pony express or something.) She came back and said indeed they had Sunday delivery in New Braunfels. I was incredulous but cautiously optimistic.
Well, after the third Sunday with no New York Times, I called to make sure that we were not being charged for the non-delivery of the paper. My complaint was so meek and mild that the circulation lady said that she would throw in three months of daily service for free. Daily delivery? Of the New York Times? In central Texas? In the spirit of “what the heck?” I agreed. The paper was to start on Thursday. Sure enough, Thursday came, and there was no paper. I was more convinced than ever that it was all a shell game. And then, today, Friday, as I took out Sammy for his morning constitutional, there was a plastic bag at the end of the driveway. Could it be…no, no way. There is no way I am really going to get a daily Times here in central Texas. And then I opened the bag. Hallelujah, indeed!
My children say that I just like the Times because of its liberal editorial bias, which is only half right. I like the New York Times for its coverage of news. Today’s edition contains stories about the first proposed capital punishment in New Hampshire in over half a century, a list of all the big donors to the Clinton Foundation, and a story about the first ever human rights declaration to decriminalize homosexuality debated at the United Nations. Sixty six countries supported the declaration. Sadly, the United States was not one of them, joining with Russia, China, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposition. That’s the kind of story I think will probably not appear in our local paper. Don’t get me wrong—I am a big supporter of local papers, and I am sure we will soon get around to subscribing to the New Braunfels Herald Zeitung. I don’t think, however, it will ever become a major source for us for news.
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