Aug 12 2008
Which is Better, the Post or the Times?
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Northwest Indiana is lucky that it has two well developed daily newspapers. We have the Gary Post-Tribune and Northwest Indiana Times. Both are pretty decent papers, but which one is better if you live in Valparaiso?
The Post-Tribune is and always will be a Lake County paper, it has a long history and is based in Gary. This is also it’s weakness. Honestly, I don’t care what much happens in most of Lake County. The Post is Lake County heavy and I can really live without it.
The Northwest Indiana Times has a different history, it’s an amalgamation of several newspapers from over the years, most notably the Valparaiso Vidette Messenger. While the Times is weighted more towards Porter County news, it provides balanced coverage of Lake County issues.
Both newspapers cost essentially the same price wise. The boilerplate Associated Press content is all the same in both papers; which is the majority of their content anyway. The Post does a little better with International News; the Times keeps burying world news in different parts of the paper. Movie reviews are a dime a dozen. I think the Times has better classified ads. Also, on Sundays, the Post always seems to be missing the bulk of the sale papers that come with the Times.
Their websites must also be judged as well. The Post-Tribune’s website is basically an extension of the Chicago Sun Times (its parent company) website and uses their hideous design and layout. Their search engine usually fails to work correctly and it’s difficult to navigate. The Times, however, has a pretty good website. Sure, it’s full of ads and Adobe Flash which clutters things up, but it’s not hard to find what you’re looking for and is easy to read. It’s also updated throughout the day.
As for the NWI Times website, if you don’t want to get very angry and lose faith in your fellow man, I would avoid reading the comments to pretty much any story. Most of the people who comment say the stupidest things and many lack decent grammar and spelling skills. It’s actually sad. Avoid the comments at all costs no matter how much you’re tempted.
The Times is slightly hostile to outside sources using it’s content. I have several Google Alerts set up for the area and I almost never get links for content from the Times. Most of the links are from the Post. Both sites, however, have RSS feeds, which is promising.
Both sites have joined the blogging revolution. Though it seems like it was kicking and screaming because they’re consultants told them to. The Times blogs are more developed and look like they are updated more often. I can’t stand looking at the Post blogs.
So, in the end, which paper is better if you live in Valpo?
Well, I vote for the Northwest Indiana Times. It covers Valpo way more than the Post does and is overall just a better paper.
As always, to each his own.
Which paper do you guys prefer?
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One Response to “Which is Better, the Post or the Times?”
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The Times uses better paper quality, and ink, so a lot less ink on your fingers after you read.
The Times has a better online by far, but I’ll have to disagree on the blog writers, the Post has a couple good ones.
The Times still relies heavily on old technology forums, and yes I agree that the comments are pretty vapid.
I’d sure love to see a NW Indiana paper that embraced free exchange and writing, that worked with the blogging community instead of pretending we don’t exist.