More than 300 newspapers around the country published op-eds for Thursday morning that disputed President Trump’s claim that reporters are “enemies of the people.”
But some of these also served a second purpose: to ask people to pay for a subscription.
The New York Times was one of the large papers involved in the effort, and it made an explicit request at the end of its piece for people to subscribe to local papers, many of which have struggled to survive in the digital age.
“If you haven’t already, please subscribe to your local papers,” the Times wrote.
The Boston Globe, which spearheaded the effort, ran an op-ed that couldn’t be read without a subscription. Clicking on the link to the paper’s op-ed led to a page that said people can continue reading by “subscribing to Globe.com for just 99¢.”
The San Jose Mercury News asked readers more generally to keep “supporting” the paper.
“Today, we ask readers to keep supporting us,” that paper wrote. “And, whatever your political leanings or feelings about the president’s policies, recognize that the press has an important role to play in our nation.”
The Chicago Sun Times didn’t make a specific request, but asked people to subscribe for one month.
“Try one month for $1!,” the link said.
The Arizona Daily Star’s op-ed was followed by a link allowing people to sign up for just 99 cents a week.
