News For News Nuts
I admit it. I'm a news nut. I single-handedly support all the 24-hour cable news networks and, even though my car has a killer audio system, I almost always listen to news radio when I drive. I read several local newspapers a day and -- yes -- I click my way through multiple news web sites throughout the day and just before bedtime.
I'm so into news sites that I've even created a news portal (www.pcanswer.com/news.htm) for my own use. You can use it too for access to all my favorite news sites as well as any sites mentioned in this article. Technology sites are listed on the left side of the page with general news sources on the right side.
The good news about news on the net is, for the most part, it's still free.
The same news stories that will cost you 25 cents or more to read on paper can be read online for zippo. Unfortunately, this free news bonanza probably won't last forever. News organizations hoped to make a killing on Internet advertising but that never materialized. The New York Times and other papers have made noises about starting to charge for services that are now free but so far, they haven't taken the plunge. The Wall Street Journal is the only major U.S. paper to charge for basic access.
Many newspapers also let you search through their archives for titles, dates and abstracts of past articles, but typically charge between $2 and $3 for full text of articles that are more than seven days old. Still, it's an effective way to do research. Some papers have bulk plans for those who need the full text of a lot of articles.
Lexis-Nexis (www.lexis.com) allows you to search through thousands of newspapers, magazines, wire stories and other publications with access to more than 2.8 billion documents. This is an incredible resource, but it's pricey. The good news is that there is no charge to search for headlines, but you'll pay $3 for each article you display unless you subscribe to the service that costs hundreds of dollars a year (you can also subscribe by the day, week or month). Before you can do any searches -- even free ones -- you have to enter a credit card number, but you won't be charged unless you access the full text of an article.
Google, the renowned web search engine, recently launched a beta test version of its own news search engine. The system is constantly searching more than 150 news sources for updated stories. Google says it's updated at least once an hour, but I've found stories that were less than five minutes old. It's not as nearly as extensive as Lexis-Nexis nor does it archive articles that are more than a week old. You can try it yourself at http://news.google.com/.
Northernlight.com, another excellent search engine, also has a news search feature that provides access to the past two weeks articles from 117 sources including Associated Press, PR Newswire and several international publications and wire services.
Another good search engine, AltaVista.Com, also has an excellent news search facility at http://news.altavista.com/. You can look up stories by topic or search by keyword.
While you can use the net to read many local papers, the real advantage to news on the Internet is that you can access papers that would otherwise be impossible or difficult to find in print. In addition to those out-of-town papers I like to read on a regular basis, I sometimes want to get the "local" angle on a story from journalists who are on or near the scene.
If I want an "inside the beltway" view, for example, I'll go to the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com). When there's trouble in the Middle East, I like to read the Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com/). I'm very interested in news from the United Kingdom, so most nights I browse through the Times of London (www.thetimes.co.uk) or one of London's famous "tabloids" like the Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk/)
Radio listeners around the world have long relied on the BBC for in-depth and accurate news. Now you don't need a shortwave radio. You can read or listen to the "beeb's" famed "World Service" report on the web at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/.
I also access local newspapers when I'm about to travel so I can catch up on what's happening in the cities I plan to visit. In many countries, you'll find English-language news sources, even if English isn't the native language. ABYZ News Links (www.abyznewslinks.com/) provides access to news sites around the world, broken down by continent and country. Don't worry; it tells you what language you'll need to read the paper.
Most online newspapers look like regular web pages but there is a trend towards presenting the paper in graphic format, just as it looks in print. The New York Times offers the service for 65 cents per edition or you can buy a six-week introductory subscription for $13. If you want to try the concept for free, check out the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (http://www.ardemgaz.com/), which now offers an optional "electronic replica" of the daily paper. I'm not so sure this is a good idea. Graphical formats that look good on newsprint don't necessarily work all that well on the web. Personally, I prefer the look and searchability of standard web pages to graphic representations of the printed page.
As a news junkie, I'm hoping that these services will remain free with generous support from advertisers. But as a realist and a journalist who makes part of his living from newspapers, I realize that there needs to be a business model that makes these sites profitable or at least break even. I wouldn't mind paying a modest annual fee to access all these great sites, but I'd hate to have to pay a separate fee to each paper. Perhaps someone can organize a consortium that would aggregate the content to serve the needs of publishers, journalist and readers.
A syndicated technology columnist for nearly two decades, Larry Magid serves as on air Technology Analyst for CBS Radio News. His technology reports can be heard several times a week on the CBS Radio Network. Magid is the author of several books including "The Little PC Book." Got a PC question? Visit www.PCAnswer.com.