732U ARTICLE RESOURCE

Obviously, people will be more inclined to subscribe or pay for news content from trusted, prestigious, sources.You will not find any who are more highly thought of or respected than the BBC, and ultimately they may well be the only “free” news provider left online (although in the words of Robert A Heinlein “TANSTAAFL” see licence fee). Quality broadsheets and periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Times, Guardian, and Economist could all comfortably and very credibly charge for access to online content. For example, can anyone seriously doubt that people would have been queuing up to pay to get more detail on the Telegraph’s scoop about MP’s expenses a fantastic tale from a trusted, well regarded source.

What is Quality?

Are you likely to pay for a site that isn’t “quality”? In other words, although this approach might work for broadsheets, would it work for tabloids like the Sun and News of the World?Is there any chance you would pay money to read the “exclusive” interviews with these so called celebs, or perhaps to see a Page 3 girl? I would hazzard a guess that the answer to this is probably yes. Many people would do just that because after all, it depends on how you define “quality”. The tabloids like the Sun, in my opinion, are in fact very high quality because they are well written, well crafted, deliberately entertaining and they know exactly who they are talking to and what they want.

News is a Precious Commodity

So basically paying a charge for news will happen and ultimately it will be successful.This could be because it’s Murdoch who is pushing for it and partly because we all know it makes sense and the reality is it could be the only way forward for hard pressed newspapers.It’s not like we don’t already pay a charge for a newspaper right now.The Europeans and US broadsheets pay top price for their cover charge compared with the low prices we pay in the UK. So if you physically fork out for your news via print (and in reality you’re paying for it through the TV and radio via the licence fee too) and seem pleased to pay for various apps or Premier League Football on Sky, then why wouldn’t you pay for such a precious commodity as news?