Monday, June 6, 2011

Yes, it's another story about paywalls. They're not going away.

I'm convinced that paywalls are the key to the future of good journalism. Yes, journalism will survive no matter what, it's just the form that it will take that needs to be defined. Yet another story today about paywalls points out that they cover a whole spectrum from the very tight paywall of the Times of London, which allows no access without a subscription (and there are a lot more like that, especially among smaller American newspapers) to the New York Times, which allows 20 free articles before you have to pay.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has another system that I think has great potential, charging for its expanded coverage of the Green Bay Packers. I've often wondered why newspapers don't make their news free, but charge for only features, reviews, etc. Whatever. The bottom line is that we are in a period of change, and journalism is changing along with it -- in some cases much faster than the rest of society.

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