[pieceofthepuzzle]

When newspapers were the major source of public information were they distributed universally for free?

[iontheball]

Are you suggesting that information has to have a a price tag on it?

[Condor51]

It's funny but back in the 'olden days' having a Telephone from Ma Bell was never a 'civil right'. Many had no phone at all and some who could barely afford a phone had 'party lines'. But now WIRELESS Internet Broadband is a 'right'?

Sheesh, if anything those "nappy headed"₍₁₎ kids need a GUN more than an iPod in order to survive. And THAT 'right' is in the Constitution! /s

(1) NOT my words.

[AlexW]

“When newspapers were the major source of public information were they distributed universally for free?”

I never saw them for free, but they were cheap, 5 cents, the same as a coke. Newspaper stands, with a simple coin box, were on the honor system.
Home delivery was the standard for morning and evening paper.
I never had a paper route but I knew many kids that did.
This was circa 1950-1960 in Memphis.
In the early 50s, Memphis had only one TV station, WMCT,
an NBC affiliate.

I would return to the USA in a heartbeat if we could go back to those “good old days”.
Oh, we also had the luxury of home delivery dairy products (early mornings before we woke up), laundry and dry cleaning service, even grocery delivery.