Dear Sir/Madam,
This is to inform you that I have cancelled my Direct Debit to The Economist, due in August 2018. My customer reference number is *******.
The reason is that I am increasingly exasperated by the partisan slant of your articles, particularly on politics and culture. Instead of analysing and explaining the great changes afoot in the world (where I commend Irwin Stelzer for example), your articles are highly partisan on one side of the debate. You could be writing for the UK Liberal Party or the US Clintonite Democrats. In cultural pieces your journalists consistently indulge blank-slate, Guardian-style prejudices, offending the intelligence of your readership.
It's a shame. There are pockets of analysis in your science section and the generally excellent technology quarterly that I shall miss.
Regards, etc
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Update Saturday: I received the following reply this morning.
Dear Mr Seel,
Customer Reference Number:-******
Thank you for contacting The Economist.
We are sorry to hear that we are losing a valued subscriber.
I confirm that I have cancelled your subscription on its expiry with the issue dated 25th August 2018 and no further payments will be taken. Please ensure that you also cancel the Direct Debit instruction with your bank.
We hope that you will continue to read The Economist from time to time.
Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards
Stefan King
The Economist subscription centre
Send the flea letter.
Good to know that The Economist AI did a close reading of my note.
How long did the cancellation of the subscription to the New Scientist last - is it still in place?
ReplyDeleteIrwin Stelzer writes for the (Sunday) Times as well to which I currently have an online subscription. Must have a look at the current Economist to see whether it deserves all this opprobrium.
Yes. And it does!
DeleteSince the Economist is weekly, you will get about 4 more copies until that cancellation date. By that time you might start liking it again. Don't underestimate the Economist AI!
DeleteIt's been going downhill for a long time. It's symptomatic of a neoliberal ideology in terminal crisis. But they don't have the self-awareness to analyse that. I can do without the smug, superior yet parochial lectures on running the world from people who still think people are homo economicus.
Delete