To Subscribe or to Unsubscribe

Late last year, just before the November presidential election, 250,000 individuals chose to unsubscribe from the Washington Post.  Many friends and people that I respect and admire urged me to do the same.

The issue that angered so many people was the top heavy and last-minute decision by the owner of the Post, Jeff Bezos, that the publication would no longer make presidential endorsements.  This was despite the long history of endorsements, and the fact that one that was already written would not be published. 

At the time, I chose not to end my subscription, despite understanding the rage on the part of those who did.  In my mind, to unsubscribe to the Post was not likely to influence Jeff Bezos’s decision, and the reporters and columnists would be the ones most hurt by loss of revenue.

This is a position, however, that I continued to evaluate.  I believe that the Post reporting is fact-based and provides reasonably unbiased coverage of events of interest, both nationally and in Washington, D.C.  I continued to be wary, however, as respected writers and staff choose to leave. 

A new, top-heavy decision to limit editorials to given subjects at last compelled me to unsubscribe.  The banner below the name of the publication still states “Democracy dies in darkness,” a sentiment that I support.  But is this the true direction of the Post in these current times? 

This was a tough decision for me.  I have had family living in Washington D.C. for many decades.  I hate to give up the coverage of news and politics by the Post, while recognizing that it is no longer the publication that I have read daily for so long.

With the downsizing and declining readership of print publications, many journalists have turned to freelance work.  Some of my favorite columnists, such as former New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz, now offer subscriptions to their writings on Substack. 

In addition to Borowitz, among my Substack subscriptions are Dan Rather’s Steady, showcasing the thoughts and writings of the former CBS anchor and news editor.  In addition, his former Steady co-founder and co-editor, Elliot Kirschner, now writes his own excellent, not to-be missed Through the Fog, which is always spot on.

In addition, I follow medical news and research on Substack by Dr. Jeremy Faust through his writings titled Inside Medicine.   And who can miss the insights and historical perspective related to current events offered daily by Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters From an American?

As more and more journalists turn to freelance writing, how and when does one decide to subscribe or to unsubscribe to these writings?  In fairness, every one of the writers deserves to be read and paid for their work.  In most cases, I subscribe to the free version before deciding.  Today, there are far more independent publishing sites than there are mainstream media sites, and we cannot subscribe to them all.  Otherwise, we would spend all day reading the media.

As we decry the news deserts in this country, leading people to alternative websites, content is not necessarily being fact-checked and often is downright false.  For this reason, if no other, I think it is important to continue to subscribe, read, and listen to trusted mainstream media.  For me, it is the New York Times, PBS, and selected independent sites.

In a recent New York Times magazine column (Feb. 16, 2025), The Ethicist by Kwame Anthony Appiah, a question was posed by a reader of whether it is ethical to continue to read a digital subscription, after one has chosen to unsubscribe. 

The response: “While citizen journalism has its place, professional journalism – with its skilled reporters, photographers, editors, illustrators and more – requires real investment.  Their work …can subject our institutions and systems of governance to critical scrutiny.  We’re already seeing the consequences of diminished local reporting, and if more newspapers fold, we’ll all pay the price.  The fruits of journalism don’t come free, and they nourish our democracy.”

As a longtime reader of news publications, both digital and in print, I could not agree more.  We need more professional journalists, not fewer.  And they should be rewarded for their efforts.  But unfortunately, all-inclusive publications continue to downsize or disappear.  Please support me in the choice to continue to support those remaining publications that one can trust, but feel free to unsubscribe when that trust is eroded.