Tag: Washington Examiner

Free is not always good.  Like when you get a free newspaper dumped on your lawn every Sunday that you don't want and you have complained over and over again to said newspaper to stop delivery and THEY DON'T LISTEN AND KEEP DELIVERING THE DAMN THING!

Welcome to the Washington Examiner's business model, which may be described as "shove it down the customer's throat, because when they say no, they really mean yes."

I thought I may be the only person with this problem, yet was amazed to find with a quick Google search that complaints about the Examiner ignoring people's requests to stop delivery stretch from Prince William to Mount Vernon to Alexandria to Arlington to McLean and Fairfax City to DC to Chevy Chase to Annapolis.  As a matter of fact, "Do not deliver" ordinances have been introduced specifically as a result of people's frustration with the Examiner in Alexandria, Fairfax City and the state of MD, while the Arlington County Board has formally complained to the Examiner over this issue and has instructions on the County Manager's webpage for residents with this problem.

The Examiner has managed the rare achievement of uniting the entire Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area -- in anger against them.  And yet, I continue to ask the Examiner to stop littering my lawn with their right wing rag and they still keep ignoring my requests.  

It's pretty obvious after all these years of complaints -- the stories above ranging from 2005 to today -- that this neglect of public desires and demands is deliberate, not an accidental behavior.  I'm not sure I understand how making thousands of people hate your guts constitutes a rational business strategy, but here are some guesses:

Usually if something that claims to be a news outlet uses a public figure's image in its advertising, it's in the context of a newsworthy event to prove the strength of its coverage. An inauguration, tear down this wall, etc. But the Washington Examiner is simply using a head shot of Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann on its banner ads. If you didn't look closely, you'd be excused for thinking it was a TV show & Bachmann was its host:

While progressives still fret about the Washington Times, long DC's biggest GOP cheerleader, they've mostly overlooked the rise to prominence of the Examiner:

Washington Times: 28,329
Washington Examiner: 282,548

The difference? While the Times still charges a small subscription fee, the Examiner isn't just available for free - it pays workers to hand it to commuters at Metro stops. The Examiner's ultra conservative owner doesn't care about making a profit - Philip Anschutz is the 33rd-wealthiest person in America.

So here's my question: Why isn't it considered a political contribution for a Republican financier to underwrite a GOP newsletter handed out at Metro stations?