Journalism is a profession that relies on the flow and output of ideas, opinion and advertising to bring in money. Thus making it apart of a commercial industry driven by the pursuit of profit and commercial status. As this profession starts to evolve and change to new online media, should we paying for this content like we do with other traditional media?
The business of news is ever consuming and can be found in most public arenas through public conversation, hard copies such a newspapers, on television screens, radios and also on hand held devices which come with internet capabilities. We are paying for news in every type of instance. We buy the device that transmits our news and the services (internet, electricity, cars etc) that allow the news to enter our own personal environment and in some cases we pay for the hard copy.
When online news, the new kid on the journalism block, starts asking for users to pay and subscribe, will this be a cost one too many for news seekers?
Murdoch, owner of The Times has made the London online news version a subscription only read. Murdoch's reasoning for the change came down to changing the business model of newspapers in order to gain more revenue outside of advertising. Online news sources popularity initially rose out of its accessibility and free content. If more news outlets with an online medium turn to similar subscription fess like Murdoch are there more outlets to follow and start charging?
Modern society incurs many costs and ongoing fees but paying for something that was once assumed as free will be a tough pill to swallow for many online news observers. A suggestion to soften the blow would be for niche online news (business, finance, specific sports, fashion etc) to make the switch to subscription based reading ahead of common headline news.
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