online or print?

Grandparents and parents generally have the habit of reading the newspaper over a cup of coffee in the morning. I was first introduced to The Straits Times at a young age by my parents, who strongly encouraged me to read to improve English and be more in-tuned to the daily happenings around the world.

Online vs print version

For the past few years, with a surge in technology many readers source for online editions of newspapers resulting in a decline of print edition. I am one of these converts. The biggest advantage of the online version is that it is convenient, portable and free. I can easily access the online version anywhere on the internet or on my phone and not get my hands black and dirty. The online version also has better graphics and it is easier to find the stories that interest me. Important information can be found quickly as some of its content is summarized. Readers can go to the ‘popular stories’ column and read more interesting stories.

Online version provides timely up-to-date information. Breaking news are being uploaded almost immediately, unlike the print edition where you will only receive news on the next day. Backdated stories are also stored on the website for at least one week. This means I don’t need to read the paper daily as I am assured that backdated news can still be found on the site. Frequently, The Straits Times replicate stories found online published by Reuters, Associated Press, The New York Times, Guardian Online and Los Angeles Times. Therefore, instead of buying the paper, I can access these websites to read the stories. Moreover, global warming is a big issue in the world today, with the decrease of print media, we can ‘go green’ and save the environment.

Of course, there are disadvantages to the online version. I have noticed that the full version is not available online. Strait times charge readers for access to full print material, similar to the print version. For the free version, you can only access a limited amount of stories or only half the story is available for readers. Then again, there are so many websites available, I won’t pay $15 a month for the online subscription. Online versions lack advertisements. This is because the online version only features one or two ads at the side bar. Therefore, sales and bargains available at departmental stores will be missed out.

if you ask me, i would prefer the online version. since i am frequently out of my house, i can view news 'on the go'. not having to flip through the big bulky newspapers.