News & Observer Reviews

I use the News & Observer app on my phone regularly, and most days it does what I need. The news itself is good, so maybe I’m being a little picky, but the app can be slow when I’m trying to open articles. Every now and then it freezes or randomly logs me out too, unless that’s just something on my phone. Overall it’s fine, I just wish the mobile app felt a bit smoother.

The digital access usually loads fine for me, but it does have random hiccups here and there. It’s not a huge deal, but when I’m already mentally drained, having to refresh or mess with it can feel more frustrating than it should.

Managing my account on newsobserver.com has been okay, but not exactly smooth. I was able to update my payment info without too much trouble, but trying to find things like cancelation or delivery options took way more clicking than it should. The whole account area works for the most part, but it feels clunky and kind of confusing. Also, the reminders are way too aggressive. I get that they want you to stay on top of things, but the constant nudges get annoying fast.

They renewed my account earlier than I expected, which was annoying. I had to go back and forth with support for a bit, but they did eventually fix it. My sister had a similar issue before, so I guess it’s not unheard of, but it still could’ve been smoother.

I canceled my News & Observer subscription today, it went way smoother than I thought it would. No long hassle, no weird runaround, just a quick conversation and it was done in a few minutes. The person who helped me was "fast" and easy to deal with.

There are ads, and at first I thought they might get annoying, but they don’t really get in the way that much. I notice them, sure, but they’re not constant or frustrating.

I like the paper overall, especially for keeping up with local news that doesn’t always show up elsewhere. Reading between the lines, though, it feels like the subscription price has crept a bit higher than what I’d expect for what I’m getting. It’s still decent, but the cost makes me think twice.

Some mornings the delivery shows up late, which is frustrating when you’re counting on it to be there on time. I don’t think it’s asking too much to expect a basic level of reliability.

I’ve been reading their local coverage for a while, and it just feels honest to me. The reporting seems grounded in what’s actually happening around the community, which makes it easy to trust.

I check this often for local Raleigh news, and overall it does a good job covering what’s going on around town. Every now and then the updates feel a little late, but it’s still useful enough that I’ll keep using it.

I still read the News & Observer mostly for Raleigh-area news, and for the basics it does the job. Weather updates, school news, local development, and city stuff are usually helpful enough when I just want to know what’s going on nearby.
That said, the political coverage wears me out. A lot of the stories feel like they’re coming from one angle, and after a while it gets tiring having to mentally filter everything instead of just reading the news. Some viewpoints seem to get handled gently, while others get dismissed quickly.
I wouldn’t say it’s a bad site, and I do still check it because the local coverage has value. I’m just kind of fatigued by how much work it takes to piece together a more balanced view, so I don’t treat the politics section like the whole story.

I had a question about my account i was ready to leave if it turned into a big runaround. But customer service got back to me fast, and the reply was clear enough to fix what I needed. No major hassle in the end, so I’m happy with how it went.

I usually check News Observer when I want to keep up with Raleigh news or see what’s going on locally, and the reporting is useful. When I can actually read the whole article, it’s nice to have that local info in one place.

The problem is the paywall shows up way too often. I’ll click a story from Google thinking I can quickly read about road closures, an event, or something I was trying to plan around, and then I hit the limit instantly. It’s especially annoying when I’m trying to figure out my day and suddenly my plans are basically on hold because I can’t read the details.

I understand they need subscriptions and I’m not saying everything should be free, but the experience could definitely be smoother. It’s not a terrible site, but the constant paywall interruptions make it frustrating and have definitely ruined a few quick “let me just check this before I head out” moments...

At first glance, the billing setup seemed straightforward. I could tell what I was paying for, and the renewal price was clearly shown, which I appreciated. My only quick complaint is that the cancellation info could’ve been easier to find.

I’ve been getting the print edition for a while now, and overall it’s been solid. The text is clear about 9 times out of 10, and the pages feel decent enough, not too flimsy. Photos usually look fine too, maybe not amazing, but definitely good enough. Delivery is late every now and then, maybe once or twice a month, which is a little annoying, but not a dealbreaker for me. Overall, I’m happy with it.

I’ve been liking NewsObserver so far. They cover the local stuff well, and it’s easy to find updates that actually matter around here.

Well... I check News & Observer pretty much every day, and I’ve found their reporting to be really solid. When something changes in a story, they usually make it clear what was updated instead of just throwing it out there fast. The local details are usually accurate too, which I really appreciate. It’s a good place to keep up with what’s going on without a bunch of extra noise

My paper didn’t show up one morning, but they had it sorted by the next day. Easy fix, and I appreciated the quick response.

I’ve been using the site and it’s easy enough to get around. Pages load fast, fast enough that I’m not sitting there waiting, and I can find local stories without clicking around forever. It works fine on my phone too, which is a big plus.