Newspaper groups not doing themselves (or other sites) any favours.

[northwichcat]

I just viewed three articles on a Newsquest local news site with images turned on and no ad blocker enabled. My browser recorded 70MB of data being downloaded - an average of 23MB per article. So if you were using the 30MB of free wifi which some public transport operators offer you can't even view 2 articles before the data would cut out.

The reason for the high data usage is the number of data heavy adverts they put on a single page, which they say they are essential funding for them. However, unless they use adverts which don't require so much data to be downloaded that's going to encourage more and more people to install ad blockers, which will then affect the sites which use advertising more sensibly.

 

[Merseysider]

There's a way to get around that, at least on iPhone. On certain websites where you know there's going to be an auto-play video ad, etc, switch to airplane mode as soon as the text loads. The video (and hopefully images) won't.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Some news sites have not far of a dozen adverts, then they wonder why people install ad blockers. I tend to find now that when I use ad blocker sites load a hell of a lot quicker, just look at the blockable items list for a given website to see the amount of javascript that sites tend to use

 

[Howardh]

It's got to the stage now where they blackmail you into switching your adblocker off, by covering the whole page. Unless it's absolutely necessary to go to that page, I go somewhere else.
There are adblock blocker blockers, and I wonder who will eventually win this fight.
However, if the companies saw sense, they could simply put a limited number of still ads within their pages, as part of the page - they won't all hit their target audience of course - but more will see them than when adblock is being used.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I just viewed three articles on a Newsquest local news site with images turned on and no ad blocker enabled. My browser recorded 70MB of data being downloaded - an average of 23MB per article. So if you were using the 30MB of free wifi which some public transport operators offer you can't even view 2 articles before the data would cut out.

Newsquest also has a very silly policy that if you go onto one of their local paper sites the "most read" listing on the right is not filtered to show only articles covered by the paper whose website you are reading; it just shows the most read across the entire group.

So I click on the local rag's website, then see an interesting headline in the "most read", so I click on that only to find it's from somewhere over 100 miles away.

Don't even get me started on their newsroom policy!

 

[northwichcat]

Newsquest also has a very silly policy that if you go onto one of their local paper sites the "most read" listing on the right is not filtered to show only articles covered by the paper whose website you are reading; it just shows the most read across the entire group.

There does seem to be a filter but it doesn't seem to work correctly.

Looking at the Knutsford Guardian most popular stories right now the top one relates to Warrington, the 9th one relates to St Helens but the other eight in the top 10 relate to Knutsford. It's possibly a case of the website editors have to pick which publications the article is relevant to when adding a story and they don't always do it correctly.

 

[SS4]

Indeed, anything with an adblocker blocker isn't really worth visiting as you can often find somewhere where it isn't blocked (and if you can't it's still unwise to believe an unverified article)

I have adblocking on Android (system level and browser level) and on desktop but I whitelist sites which are known to be sensible (like this one and lparchive) as good behaviour should be encouraged (especially if they pass the Privacy Badger). But how many people actually whitelist sites?

Speaking on Android does anyone get frustrated when websites either have a banner promoting the app or flat out don't let you browse without installing their app? Twitch is such a site and when I opened an Amazon link in firefox I'm sure it opened the app.

 

[Kite159]

Agreed about the state of adverts on the local newspaper sites, not only with large adverts taking up the top of the page you normally get an "Inread" video pop up with some random video.

Add on the click-bait nature of some of the headlines (i.e. "Hampshire Shop set to Close") means the local newspaper sites are pretty much unreadable if on limited data

 

[northwichcat]

Indeed, anything with an adblocker blocker isn't really worth visiting as you can often find somewhere where it isn't blocked (and if you can't it's still unwise to believe an unverified article)

I have adblocking on Android (system level and browser level) and on desktop but I whitelist sites which are known to be sensible (like this one and lparchive) as good behaviour should be encouraged (especially if they pass the Privacy Badger). But how many people actually whitelist sites?

Speaking on Android does anyone get frustrated when websites either have a banner promoting the app or flat out don't let you browse without installing their app? Twitch is such a site and when I opened an Amazon link in firefox I'm sure it opened the app.

I've got Android and I use Chrome as the default browser with image compression enabled. I also have the 'Browser' app as my secondary browser which has images disabled, so if I need to use an image heavy site and know I don't need to see the images I use that rather than Chrome.

I tried using Opera which has advanced compression options but it was a bit of a joke. If you were writing something and keyed in a word which wasn't in the dictionary it not only change the word to something else but as it did that it added random words in your text so the second paragraph of your post could end up like the below after you just keyed in Firefox and it wasn't in the dictionary

Speaking on Androidfire does anyone get frustrated when websites either have a banner promoting thefire app or flat out don't let you browse without installingfire their app? Twitch is such a site and when I opened an Amazon link in fire-starter

 

[Jonny]

There is also an "Adblock Browser" for Android (also Apple) https://adblockbrowser.org/ for details and a store link which may be quite helpful on such devices.

 

[AlterEgo]

It's irritating when websites abuse advertising space like this.

Just a thought though - don't forget that many sites and content creators rely on advertising to be viable.

 

[SS4]

There is also an "Adblock Browser" for Android (also Apple) https://adblockbrowser.org/ for details and a store link which may be quite helpful on such devices.

On Android you can just download firefox and install ublock origin (amongst other extensions)

 

[northwichcat]

It's irritating when websites abuse advertising space like this.

Just a thought though - don't forget that many sites and content creators rely on advertising to be viable.

Indeed - that's the problem. Organisations like Newsquest are acting in a way which will encourage more people to install ad blockers and then they'll block ads on every website, not just on sites belonging to organisations like Newsquest.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

It's irritating when websites abuse advertising space like this.

Just a thought though - don't forget that many sites and content creators rely on advertising to be viable.

Agreed. It's a very sad situation. Local journalism and local news reporting is really an essential part of our society, but thanks largely to the Internet, almost no one is willing to pay for it any more, which leaves local newspapers basically stuck.

Having said that the solution of turning themselves into massively ad-filled clickbait is - as the OP says - not doing themselves any favours. I don't know what the solution is, as I can't imagine that a more reasonable level of advertising would generate nearly enough income.

I wonder if good local news is going to eventually end up as the preserve of bloggers and local campaigning groups, who are often willing to work to push out news for free - but, unfortunately, usually because it helps some agenda that they are campaigning on, which will tend to mean very selectively reported news.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's possibly a case of the website editors have to pick which publications the article is relevant to when adding a story and they don't always do it correctly.

Not according to a former online editor for NewsQuest ( who left last year ); he tells me it's a fully automated process creating the "most read" list.

Newsquest have also recently axed all use of photographers; they now rely entirely on the public to send pictures in - the end result of that is that the majority of articles now carry Google Streetview pictures of the locations in the reports.

None of their local papers have any dedicated designated reporters any more; instead they fired a large number of their reporters and now have a skeleton newsroom that covers everything within a given region. They actually had a prolonged strike over this issue when it was implemented a few months ago although funnily enough they were the only media group that didn't seem to report on it!

 

[Howardh]

Agreed. It's a very sad situation. Local journalism and local news reporting is really an essential part of our society, but thanks largely to the Internet, almost no one is willing to pay for it any more, which leaves local newspapers basically stuck.

Having said that the solution of turning themselves into massively ad-filled clickbait is - as the OP says - not doing themselves any favours. I don't know what the solution is, as I can't imagine that a more reasonable level of advertising would generate nearly enough income.

I wonder if good local news is going to eventually end up as the preserve of bloggers and local campaigning groups, who are often willing to work to push out news for free - but, unfortunately, usually because it helps some agenda that they are campaigning on, which will tend to mean very selectively reported news.

It's an interesting question as to just how useful are local rags. I stopped buying ours years ago as it was 60p (then) full of tickle-tackle like a 4yr old's lost her tooth. These days, if something happens you will find out about it; even without their websites. Council? If it involves you you will get a letter, if it's general they have newsheets which come through your door. MP? Facebook feed. Sport? Facebook feed. Major story? BBC, you've paid for that. Meanwhile, little Samantha's about to lose another tooth. Best pop down to the papershop for the latest breaking news......:roll:

 

[northwichcat]

Newsquest have also recently axed all use of photographers; they now rely entirely on the public to send pictures in - the end result of that is that the majority of articles now carry Google Streetview pictures of the locations in the reports.

They stole one of my photos for an article so I emailed them and said I'll sell them the rights to use it for unlimited use for £60. I got back an email saying they removed it from the website it was on. The photo was of a bridge at the end of the road from their office so it would have taken 5 minutes for them to send someone to photograph it.

Regarding the most popular list there must be something they do when adding the articles, otherwise how would it would know a George Osborne article is relevant to the Knutsford, Wilmslow and Northwich titles but not Warrington and Crewe, yet one on a Northern strike is relevant to all 5?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They stole one of my photos for an article so I emailed them and said I'll sell them the rights to use it for unlimited use for £60. I got back an email saying they removed it from the website it was on.

You should have just invoiced them...

 

[Kite159]

It's an interesting question as to just how useful are local rags. I stopped buying ours years ago as it was 60p (then) full of tickle-tackle like a 4yr old's lost her tooth. These days, if something happens you will find out about it; even without their websites. Council? If it involves you you will get a letter, if it's general they have newsheets which come through your door. MP? Facebook feed. Sport? Facebook feed. Major story? BBC, you've paid for that. Meanwhile, little Samantha's about to lose another tooth. Best pop down to the papershop for the latest breaking news......:roll:

Don't forget about Aunt Doris's minor car accident where she hit a post in the car park

But the read about the latest planning permission to build 3 more houses where a long closed pub once stood is a must

 

[me123]

It's an interesting question as to just how useful are local rags. I stopped buying ours years ago as it was 60p (then) full of tickle-tackle like a 4yr old's lost her tooth. These days, if something happens you will find out about it; even without their websites. Council? If it involves you you will get a letter, if it's general they have newsheets which come through your door. MP? Facebook feed. Sport? Facebook feed. Major story? BBC, you've paid for that. Meanwhile, little Samantha's about to lose another tooth. Best pop down to the papershop for the latest breaking news......:roll:

That's exactly how I feel. The last time I bought a newspaper was the Northern Scot when I lived in Elgin back in 2013 - I bought it purely because the front page news story was so ridiculous that it had to be seen to be believed ("Spider Found in Garden" - yes, really).

What is there in local news papers? Anything worthwhile will appear in a more reputable source anyway. The fluff stories aren't actually interesting. The journalism is usually dire. They're filled with adverts (in fairness, it's probably their only significant revenue source). Aside from finding out who died this week, I struggle to see what purpose they serve.

Aside from the wonderful blogs Angry People in Local Newspapers and (the no longer updated, sadly) Dull News in Local Newspapers, of course.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I bought it purely because the front page news story was so ridiculous that it had to be seen to be believed ("Spider Found in Garden" - yes, really).

I am guessing the spider in question was a False Widow? It seems to be a favourite subject of local newspapers trying to boost their circulation figures.

Well, I have news for all those local newspapers: False Widows are now well established in this country and it is pointless trying to panic over them; they are here to stay, so try reporting some real news for a change...

 

[Kite159]

Breaking news, someone has stolen Gareth*'s wheelie bin, with a stock photo of said wheelie bin.

(*name changed for privacy reasons)

 

[northwichcat]

I am guessing the spider in question was a False Widow? It seems to be a favourite subject of local newspapers trying to boost their circulation figures.

Well, I have news for all those local newspapers: False Widows are now well established in this country and it is pointless trying to panic over them; they are here to stay, so try reporting some real news for a change...

When the Daily Mail did a scare mongering story on False Widows it was picked up in Australia with Aussies mocking us for being scared of a harmless spider.

 

[GusB]

That's exactly how I feel. The last time I bought a newspaper was the Northern Scot when I lived in Elgin back in 2013 - I bought it purely because the front page news story was so ridiculous that it had to be seen to be believed ("Spider Found in Garden" - yes, really).

The Northern Scot hasn't changed much, and I think they've also lost a lot of jobs over the last few years. I'm sure I read somewhere that the typesetting was being done in India! I haven't bought a copy in years, and their Midweek Extra goes straight into the recycling as it contains nothing but ads.

One of their hacks was a regular in the pub I used to work in. I recall a story that they wrote about a local farmer and his herd of "Chevrolet" cows...

 

[me123]

I am guessing the spider in question was a False Widow? It seems to be a favourite subject of local newspapers trying to boost their circulation figures.

Well, I have news for all those local newspapers: False Widows are now well established in this country and it is pointless trying to panic over them; they are here to stay, so try reporting some real news for a change...

The couple in question thought is was a False Widow for no real reason whatsoever other than "it was big" (in spite of the fact that none had ever been found in or anywhere near Scotland at that point - I don't think there have been any definite instances noted). The exotic animals department of The Moray Council (or words to that extent - I bet that's a busy job! ) stated that they couldn't rule out that it was a false widow (although they also said that they hadn't actually examined it yet, which is probably why they hadn't ruled it out). There wasn't a follow up to this story, so it's reasonably safe to assume that it was just a normal spider.

 

[DarloRich]

I just viewed three articles on a Newsquest local news site with images turned on and no ad blocker enabled. My browser recorded 70MB of data being downloaded - an average of 23MB per article. So if you were using the 30MB of free wifi which some public transport operators offer you can't even view 2 articles before the data would cut out.

The reason for the high data usage is the number of data heavy adverts they put on a single page, which they say they are essential funding for them. However, unless they use adverts which don't require so much data to be downloaded that's going to encourage more and more people to install ad blockers, which will then affect the sites which use advertising more sensibly.

you have to sign up to the Northern Echo web site to read more than, say, 5 articles a month. I haven't bothered as the same sports reports are in the D & S times which is published by................... Newsquest!

 

[Tetchytyke]

It's irritating when websites abuse advertising space like this.

Just a thought though - don't forget that many sites and content creators rely on advertising to be viable.

It's a cycle that's hard to break down. Adverts get more aggressive because of the adblockers, so more people use adblockers because of the aggressive adverts. The latest thing is the autoplay videos that don't get caught by the adblockers.

I never used to use adblockers, but it was the Newsquest splash adverts that made me install one. Most of my internet use is at work and I don't want huge splash adverts with music and sound where my boss can hear

Websites that I trust not to spam me with splash and popups I whitelist. I have this forum on the whitelist because of the revenue.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Perhaps what's required is a more sophisticated ad-blocker that makes a decision about blocking based examining how extensive the advertising on a page is. Thus the default settings for a non-whitelisted site might be, for example, to block ads only if it detects that the page plays sound immediately on loading, or if the adverts appear to cover other content, or if the adverts occupy more than (say) 25% of the top 1000 pixel-rows of screen estate (perhaps with a lower threshold if the ads are in the centre of the screen). That way, sites that just have small ads along the side of the screen don't get ad-blocked, but ones that cover their content with ads and play audio ads the instant you load them do get ad-blocked.

Or maybe such an ad-blocker already exists? (I don't know because I've never particularly needed to look into ad-blockers. (I rarely visit the kinds of sites that push ads everywhere, and on those occasions when I do find myself on such a site, I tend to just close the browser immediately if loads of ads pop up. It's really very rare that reading the content of a particular page is that essential to my life!).

 

[backontrack]

Not according to a former online editor for NewsQuest ( who left last year ); he tells me it's a fully automated process creating the "most read" list.

Newsquest have also recently axed all use of photographers; they now rely entirely on the public to send pictures in - the end result of that is that the majority of articles now carry Google Streetview pictures of the locations in the reports.

None of their local papers have any dedicated designated reporters any more; instead they fired a large number of their reporters and now have a skeleton newsroom that covers everything within a given region. They actually had a prolonged strike over this issue when it was implemented a few months ago although funnily enough they were the only media group that didn't seem to report on it!

Yeah. The York Press is managed in Newport SW now.

 

[maniacmartin]

It's not just the annoyance, slowdowns and bandwidth usage of adverts that is a problem.

Dodgy advertising networks are also a very common way of distributing viruses and other malware. Even reputable sites could have sold advertising space to a network who might have subsold it to someone who is up to no good.

Given the complexity of web browsers nowadays and the number of vulnerabilities that are constantly being discovered and patched, I don't consider browsing without a good Ad blocker to be safe, and my employer force installs uBlock Origin by GPO policy. Browsers such as Chrome and Firefox self-update by their own accord pretty silently, so this arms race might not be that apparent to most users.