Not expecting this to work for them, but if it does, maybe they'll use the money to start doing good investigative reporting again. I'd love to see more journalist-run sting operations like reporters used to do in the old days.
Agreed, had the quality of their paper (or of the newspaper industry in general) been similar to what it was even just a decade ago, I believe this could have worked.
However, the newspaper industry has been losing quality at a rate equaled only by their loss of readers and one influences the other. This feedback loop they've developed is going to be their death, and unless they can stall this loop, they'll be gone for good, which IMO is a shame.
Unless this pay-for effort spurs new life and quality into their articles, I doubt they'll manage to get enough people to pay the prices required. They need to poach would-be payers from other newspapers and hold them as their own. The newspaper industry is entering an evolutionary state, only the hyper-competitive are going to survive this.
Can't really speak for the rest of the world (any one know any studies?) but the quality of online is the Australian market is absolutely appalling.
The Sydney Morning Herald is probably the best broad sheet in the country, but online smh.com.au is absolute link baiting trash. Personally i could not fathom forking out for celebrity trash nor for the un fact checked gibberish that is posted throughout the day. Lately i would be lucky to check it once a day for 30sec.
And i'm really skeptical if they could ever find scale to charge for online access in an any Australian city market.
I used to check the site of the News Ltd paper in SA a number of times a day but a couple of months ago I deleted all related bookmarks and feeds and went cold turkey. I don't think I'm missing much. They bow down to the pageview gods and, subsequently, the quality of their material is woeful.
Comments
Not expecting this to work for them, but if it does, maybe they'll use the money to start doing good investigative reporting again. I'd love to see more journalist-run sting operations like reporters used to do in the old days.
Citation needed about how things were "in the old days."
I agree, but it's good they're experimenting. They need to do an exclusive deal with Microsoft or Google (like Bing/Murdoch: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/13/murdoch-google-bing-mex...).
I'll bet they've already agreed to sell subscriptions via iTunes for the Apple Tablet.
Agreed, had the quality of their paper (or of the newspaper industry in general) been similar to what it was even just a decade ago, I believe this could have worked.
However, the newspaper industry has been losing quality at a rate equaled only by their loss of readers and one influences the other. This feedback loop they've developed is going to be their death, and unless they can stall this loop, they'll be gone for good, which IMO is a shame.
Unless this pay-for effort spurs new life and quality into their articles, I doubt they'll manage to get enough people to pay the prices required. They need to poach would-be payers from other newspapers and hold them as their own. The newspaper industry is entering an evolutionary state, only the hyper-competitive are going to survive this.
Can't really speak for the rest of the world (any one know any studies?) but the quality of online is the Australian market is absolutely appalling.
The Sydney Morning Herald is probably the best broad sheet in the country, but online smh.com.au is absolute link baiting trash. Personally i could not fathom forking out for celebrity trash nor for the un fact checked gibberish that is posted throughout the day. Lately i would be lucky to check it once a day for 30sec.
And i'm really skeptical if they could ever find scale to charge for online access in an any Australian city market.
I used to check the site of the News Ltd paper in SA a number of times a day but a couple of months ago I deleted all related bookmarks and feeds and went cold turkey. I don't think I'm missing much. They bow down to the pageview gods and, subsequently, the quality of their material is woeful.
"However, the newspaper industry has been losing quality at a rate equaled only by their loss of readers and one influences the other. "
Citation needed.
I really would like to see some studies on this topic. Its certainly my firm belief but i don't have the facts to back it up.
edit:
OK is not a study... but its pretty funny
+ http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2009/12/15/when-the-big-medi...