New Brunswick — We may not agree on much in this province, but we can all agree that it’s best for everyone to share one Brunswick News login to avoid paying a subscription fee just to see an online Telegraph-Journal or Daily Gleaner article here and there.
“Sometimes the T-J will be the first to break a story, but because it’s hidden behind the paywall, you have to wait for CBC to write something about it,” said non-subscriber Lola Simon of Saint John. “A friend will share an article, you click it, and — bam! — paywall! So it’s kind of like Netflix for New Brunswick. You don’t want to see the vast majority of the content, and it’s definitely not worth paying full price, so instead you steal the credentials from your co-worker’s cousin’s nephew.”
“The worst is when you think they’ve got this hot story, so you try to find the Post-It where you wrote down the login info four years ago, and it turns out they’ve just shared a blurry photo with the text ‘story to come as more details emerge,'” said another occasional reader, Josh Emerson of Fredericton. “I’m a busy guy! I don’t have time to waste looking for a scrap of paper. But yeah, that login has served me well over the years. When I want a one-sided story based on a Facebook status, I know exactly where to look!”
“I work for BNI and I don’t even think it’s worth paying to see the content,” said Times & Transcript court reporter Albert Ogilvie. “But I know someone who pays for it — my ex-wife’s sister’s babysitter’s brother. I mean obviously I don’t know-know him, but he’s never changed his password, so we’re kinda tight that way.”
Jamie Irving has stated his disapproval at this buddy-system approach to reading exclusive Brunswick News content.
“How are we supposed to pay our staff a living wage if you cheapskates are all sharing a login?” he asked, as his maid served him a rare Scotch in the study of his mansion. “It’s not very ethical, if you ask me. I wouldn’t be surprised if these dishonest citizens practised tax evasion, too. It’s a slippery slope.”
A Manatee reporter managed to track down the person who owns the provincial Brunswick News subscription. The 18-year-old, under condition of anonymity, informed us that he was given the login when he signed up to deliver the paper several years ago, and no one bothered to cancel it on him when he quit.
“Technically I’m not even paying for it,” he said with a shrug. “Do you want it? I’ll just text it to you.”