Newspapers that raise a paywall may find paying customers among some of their most loyal domestic fans – but they will shut out all the serendipitous readers, perhaps ending sites‘ global ambitions. The result would see BBC News, of course, attract more traffic. But a march to paid could also mean an opportunity for grassroots bloggers and redundant newspaper reporters, many of whom are promising to build alternative news sources worth their name.
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Newspapers must choose between audience and profit, but neither may hold the answer. As one tweeter put it: „They’re doomed if they charge and they’re doomed if they don’t, so they might as well try.“
Robert Andrews bringt im Guardian die Debatte um Paid Content auf den Punkt.
