How Are Newspapers Across America Scamming Users With Online Subscriptions, Including The Detroit News?

Things must be really bad financially at the Detroit News and other 77 MediaNews Group owned newspapers across the US. 

Newspapers are no more than 12 pages filled with ads and infotainment. The Detroit News and other US newspapers are on verge of folding and it shows. No, it’s not because of “Go woke, go broke!” or “fake news” nonsense. It’s because print media casn’t compete with the internet and the plethora of 24 hour news channels. 

Things at MediaNews Group appear to have hit rock bottom. It’s so bad that they have resorted to pulling bait-and-switch scams on countless online subscribers. In addition, they have coupled it with boiler room high pressure sales tactics attempting to renew your subscriptions.

The Detroit News and MediaNews Group Are Using Paywalls 

If you do a lot of research like we do, access to local news media is essential. However, local newspapers owned by the Detroit News’ parent, MediaNews Group have put their online articles behind a paywall. Of course, this means you have to pay for access. MediaNews Group’s excuse for the paywall is so they can pay “quality” journalists. Okay, fair enough. However, most of the stories on their local news websites come from freelancers or wire service like the Associated Press. 

Freelance reporters are more interested churning and burning articles in order to make a living. 

So, Digital Media’s claim that they need the firewall to pay “quality journalists” is pretty disingenuous. It’s more about keeping the investors of MediaNews Group’s parent company happy. Hedge fund Alden Global Capital owns MediaNews Group. Alden acquired Tribune newspapers in 2021 and owns another 10 newspapers under the Tribune banner. 

How The Detroit News And MediaNews Group Owned Newspapers Pull A Bait-And-Switch On You

Here’s how MediaNews Group pulls a bait-and-switch. Trust us, we know because this is what happened when we subscribed to the Detroit News. 

So, we went to pay for a subscription to the Detroit News last week. The Detroit News was offering a $1.00 subscription for the first month. They were also offering a guarantee we could cancel at any time. So, we signed up. Well, the next day the Detroit News billed my Apple account $19.99 for the first month. So, I called the Detroit News to complain. Naturally, no one could find the subscription. As a result, they refused to refund the money.

This is not just an isolated incident. It has happened to hundreds of other people in Detroit. If Media News Group is doing this in Detroit, they are also doing it other markets. So stay sharp if you’re subscribing to your local newspaper’s website. 

 Read More About Internet Ripoffs On MFI-Miami.com.