Thanks to the proliferation of publishing
technologies and the rise of the digital age, people are given the opportunity
to consume and publish a vast amount of information. As new technologies for
publishing are created, new challenges become present with different
businesses. The days of charging for a physical copy of a newspaper are coming
to an end. Free information that is published online is challenging how print
journalism makes its revenue. Based on the readings, I reflect on print
media's implementation of new business models, specifically the paywall. Is it
effective? Can it save the future for journalists and advance the future of
publishing?
Due to the decrease of advertising revenues,
companies like the The New York Times, have had to approach an alternative
method, the paywall. Paywalls are the barriers to exclusive content and can
only be accessed by users who have paid the subscription fee. The New York
Times, for one, offers these subscriptions for the benefit of unlimited access
to articles and blog posts as well as extra features. The paywall itself may
seem like an appropriate business model as people are willing to purchase
subscriptions to view more content. In fact Doctor (2013) addresses the idea
that getting exclusive content, makes people feel important and lets publishers
know that audiences care. This changes how publishing is formatted. Articles
and extra features must be worth buying, engaging and should differentiate from
other content that is free (Doctor 2013).
 |
| Paywalls can be inconvenient for casual readers |
The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger,
does provide a good counter argument. Paywalls are not a step forward for publishing as print journalism
is merely turning its back from its readers and that digital advertising still
holds promise (Busfield 2010). I strongly agree with this opinion on paywalls.
Because new publishing techniques have been created, this gives us the massive
opportunity to experiment and progress through shared content, which has been
successfully exploited by social media (twitter, Facebook). Simply using a
subscription method to access print publications is merely trying to hold on to
past publishing technologies but it prevents journalism from accomplishing its
main function, to inform masses in order to achieve a sustainable democracy. If
paywalls are implemented, it can possibly limit the number of people that can
access information and opinions, alienate casual readers, and may even bring
about greater decline in revenue for the company. The New York Times holds
great reputation, paywalls may not be as effective on smaller startup
publications. It’s the company’s circumstance and luck that made this business
model successful (Kozlowski 2014).
I’m not saying that digital advertising is the absolute
profit-making machine that the print media should implement either. Native
advertising has become a rising trend within these companies, where
advertisements would be disguised as articles for the publication (Hallett
2013). Advertising can potentially get in the way of reporting impartial
journalism. Other websites also stick to explicitly naming their sponsors. I
don’t have a determined answer for what will solve the revenue crisis of print
publishing, but I can conclude that new techniques for publishing gives new
opportunities to explore social and commercial patterns. Due to the variations
of business models brought about by new publishing techniques and processes, it
has become clear that each company should seek to innovate and experiment
methods of adapting to the digital age of publishing.
References
Busfield, S. (2010). Guardian
editor hits back at paywalls. [online] the Guardian. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jan/25/guardian-editor-paywalls [Accessed
11 Aug. 2014].
Coscarelli, J. (2012). NY
Times Supported by Readers, Not Advertisers. [online] Daily Intelligencer.
Available at:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/07/new-york-times-supported-by-readers-not-advertisers.html
[Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].
Doctor, K. (2014). The
newsonomics of The New York Times’ Paywalls 2.0. [online] Nieman Journalism
Lab. Available at:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/11/the-newsonomics-of-the-new-york-times-paywalls-2-0/
[Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].
Hallett, T. (2013). What
is native advertising anyway?. [online] the Guardian. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/media-network-outbrain-partner-zone/native-advertising-quality-scalability
[Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].
Kozlowski, M. (2014). Why
the Vast Majority of Newspaper Paywalls Will Fail. [online]
Goodereader.com. Available at:
http://goodereader.com/blog/commentary/why-the-vast-majority-of-newspaper-paywalls-will-fail
[Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].
Image:
CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com, flickr/tristanf <https://flic.kr/p/nFCgZp>
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