Here goes.
In what is either the last gasp of a dying industry or the long-awaited retrenchment of an American staple, the big-time newspapers may be going pay only. Rupert Murdoch’s declaration yesterday that he will be charging for all online news under his media empire spurred enough reactionary blogging to fill a Sunday edition. But is journalism’s online pay vs. free dilemma its real problem, or are media empires missing the point of the industry’s troubles altogether?
Perhaps Murdoch’s move is the first realization of Financial Times editor Lionel Barber’s declaration that almost every news outlet will be charging for all content within the year. Perhaps it is a naïve experiment that will end badly. Or maybe the answer to the question lies in the another trend in the journalism business: corporate control.
Murdoch thinks the fact that he oversees a gigantic media empire is an advantage: his move alone will slide much of the country’s media (especially for right-wingers) behind a pay wall, and could set a powerful trend. But does he forget the inherent disadvantages of corporate sponsored news? What if corporate control, and not new media, is killing the industry?
Several Big Think experts have provided their thoughts on this subject. They include novelist Kurt Anderson, Buzzmachine.com founder Jeff Jarvis, and journalist Calvin Trillin.
Discuss
Lee Bob Black on August 7, 2009, 3:41 PM
Tom Glocer also talks about this.
sean walsh on August 8, 2009, 3:02 PM
It will happen just look at pay per view,the first PPV in England was a boxing match and the excuse was it was a one of and not an presentant.They made lots of money and the experiment was profitable and the promices made of a one of spectical were forgotten
Shane Beck on August 8, 2009, 11:52 PM
My money is on a naive experiment that will end bady. The Internet is a global phonomenon. People will head to the sites that are still free. BBC might pick up a few new browsers though…
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