I love the volume of news and information that literally flows through my hands on my phone. I can quickly and easily catch up on world events as I wait in line was and commute to work. I no longer print out directions or make lists for groceries and errands. I just store it all in my phone and it’s available whenever I need it. And still, I miss the newspaper on Sundays.
That changed today when my first paper Sunday Times in many years was delivered to my door. Two key events in the last few months led me to re-subscribe to The Times.
The front page
In March, I saw the premiere of the documentary Page One at SXSW. I was enthralled by the process that The New York Times goes through every day to decide what goes on the front page of the paper the next day. And the premiere, we learned that The Times would be moving to a subscription model of some kind in order to save its financials. After years of all we could read for free, the company had to make the bold move to protect itself in these turbulent media times. And in that moment I felt I had to subscribe to help protect The Times too. It is too big, too important, to fail.
A diary of epic proportions
A few weeks ago I went to the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival to see Tim Hetherington’s Diary. Diary is his autobiography in film form. When he submitted to the festival, he had every intention of being there for the Q&A. Sadly we lost Tim in Libya this Spring as he was there covering the unfolding conflict. His close friend, James Brabazon, described Tim as “a light so bright you could steer your boat by him.” He was nothing short of a genius with compassion and heart, and he spent a good deal of his career in journalism working for The New York Times among other top publications. My subscription money supports work like Tim’s, and it’s the least I can do after all that The Times has done for me for so many years.
My Sunday morning
6 days a week you’ll find me reading as many articles as I can on my phone and my laptop, taking in world-class digital content from The Times thanks to my subscription. (All subscriptions allow for full access to all digital content.) And on Sunday mornings, I’ll happily be on my coach, CBS Sunday Morning on my TV, coffee or tea in hand, Phineas next to me, reading The New York Times in black and white.
Christa Avampato 