John Basham apparently possesses some sort of intuiting psychic powers, because just as he predicted, this morning the Star-Telegram published yet one more of its biased editorials regarding the Tarrant Regional Water District Board scandals.
This morning one of John Basham's imaginary co-conspirators emailed me the link to this morning's Star-Telegram anti-Basham/Kelleher editorial titled Latest episode of Tarrant Regional Water District soap opera is disappointing.
However, due to what amounts to being a form of censorship, I am unable to read the Star-Telegram's editorial. Or any other article in the Star-Telegram, for the most part. Clicking on the link to the Star-Telegram editorial brings the reader to a webpage which is quickly rendered unreadable, as you can see, screencapped below.
After the screen goes gray that which you see below pops up, indicating one must be a Star-Telegram subscriber to read a Star-Telegram editorial.
While the Fort Wort Star-Telegram is not a real newspaper in the way newspapers of record in other towns I have lived in have covered the news, it still is what passes for the only newspaper of record in Fort Worth.
I know the Star-Telegram is not doing well, financially, and thus is thrashing about trying to raise revenue. But, I really don't think cutting down your number of readers in this censoring manner is really the way to go. When one is allowed to read a Star-Telegram article one is subjected to multiple ads. The Star-Telegram needs readers if it wants those advertisers to keep on advertising.
Lately I have discovered a much better source of online local news, via the WFAA website. WFAA is the ABC affiliate in the Dallas Metroplex. The WFAA website is well done, has limited ads, does not censor articles, requires no subscription, and comprehensively covers the entire Dallas Metroplex, unlike the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which primarily focuses on Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
Is Vegas taking bets on how long it is til the Star-Telegram folds for good? My bet would be sooner than later. There are just too many local sources of news which do a much better, much fairer covering of the news than does the Star-Telegram....
The Star Telegram is a better paper than Ocean Shores's weekly, the North Coast News. I haven't inquired if The Ocean Shores City Council is green with envy.
ReplyDeleteThe FWTS wanting me to subscribe has been a bee in my bonnet for a while. Like we cannot get news elsewhere? Not worth paying for.
ReplyDeleteI can read the editorial without subscribing and no gray screen.
ReplyDeleteI use FireFox with AdBlock on a Mac running OS X Version 10.7.5. That's a mouthful. Maybe the S-T will read this comment and block users like me.
Pssst, 'rango ... If you must read, do it like I do: Close the ad and then scroll the page. You'll be able to read two or three lines of the story through the gray screen above the subscriber box.
ReplyDeleteCatsPaw, methinks the ability to thwart the Star-Telegram varies depending on what one is using to access it. The method you describe would not work on mine. I click on the ad I get bumped to the home page. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I do have a work around that I was not gonna mention lest the ST figure out a way to thwart it. Very simply, I reduce my text size by 25%. When the page loads and is still not grayed out I hit the print screen button. I then copy the printed screen into my photo viewer, then crop and enlarge the print and I am then able to read that which the Star-Telegram tried to censor from my prying, freeloading eyes.
ReplyDelete