Newspapers and Paywalls

khalessi

I'm sitting here and just wondering do you think the Irish newspapers should have articles referencing the Coronavirus or COvid19 free access or kept behind a paywall?

I know some papers have decided in the US for example to have coronavirus related material free. I do realise Ireland is much smaller and papers heavly rely on this income to keep going so its a tough call.

WHat are your views?

Bob24

This is not specific to Covid 19 - but IMO the right way to do paywalls is to leave whatever is press releases and basic news agency type of reports available for free (people will find that stuff for free elsewhere anyway), and to put any in house piece and detailed analysis behind paywalls with the headline and first paragraph available to everyone as a teaser.

Specifically to Covid 19 - anything that is simply relaying government releases, easily and publicly available statistics, or very basic reports can be free and in depth reporting should be behind paywalls.

I am not in favour of making all the Covid 19 coverage free. The basic facts and information which is deemed necessary for public health concerns is relayed by the government through press releases, RTÉ, etc. So it would be a fallacious argument to say papers have some kind of responsibility to inform the public for free. If a paper is working hard to produce good premium content that people are interested in beyond the basic facts ... each of us can decide whether we think the content is adding enough value for us to want to pay for it.

Agent Coulson

Go buy a physical copy they are still for sale in shops that are open and pay for that or do you expect that to be free as well?

joeguevara

Journalists opinions are not the best source of information about the virus. Journalists by and large have no expertise in this and verified medical sources should be your go to.

Journalist pieces can add colour but doesn’t mean they should be free. Also there are so many publications not behind paywalls if you want to read them.

padser

Irish Indepenent is a joke.

They did a big editorial a few weeks back about how they would keep all the main news on Covid available for free.

Their first 9 articles are all Covid. 8 are paywalled. The 9th is Brent Pope waffling on about "moving forward"

The first one apparently talks about new potential restrictions.

I've no problem with them using a paywall - but don't make promises about keeping stuff free during the crisis and then break it left right and centre.

I just wish I had a subscription to cancel

JTMan

WSJ, FT and the Economist have made all their Covid-19 articles free. Some excellent journalism free of charge because making the information free is in the public interest.

Irishphotodesk

khalessi wrote: »

I'm sitting here and just wondering do you think the Irish newspapers should have articles referencing the Coronavirus or COvid19 free access or kept behind a paywall?

I know some papers have decided in the US for example to have coronavirus related material free. I do realise Ireland is much smaller and papers heavly rely on this income to keep going so its a tough call.

WHat are your views?

Without having a go at you specifically, what other jobs (marked by the government as essential in a pandemic) do you think should be working for free at this time.?

Personally, I have purchased a number of printed editions to keep and share with my kids when they are old enough to want details of the pandemic, I will have copies of tabloid and broadsheet papers stored for my future generations to physically hold a piece of history.

Journalists are recording the day to day facts of what is happening - social media is a minefield and could be filled with anyone's opinion and coloured as fact.

Go buy a paper !

Full disclosure... I'm a member of the media !! (Although unemployed at the moment because my boss cut back at first opportunity)

padser

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Without having a go at you specifically, what other jobs (marked by the government as essential in a pandemic) do you think should be working for free at this time.?

Personally, I have purchased a number of printed editions to keep and share with my kids when they are old enough to want details of the pandemic, I will have copies of tabloid and broadsheet papers stored for my future generations to physically hold a piece of history.

Journalists are recording the day to day facts of what is happening - social media is a minefield and could be filled with anyone's opinion and coloured as fact.

Go buy a paper !

Full disclosure... I'm a member of the media !! (Although unemployed at the moment because my boss cut back at first opportunity)

My issus isn't with them using a paywall.

Its with them promising not to, and then doing so anyway

Irishphotodesk

padser wrote: »

My issus isn't with them using a paywall.

Its with them promising not to, and then doing so anyway

Who has promised no paywall and turned around and put one in place?

Do you know if there has been any change in circumstances of that company which may have forced them to reconsider their stance? I do recall the Independent news group saying something similar a few years ago....prior to being sold, to another company.... who has since taken the decision (I’m told) to concentrate on monetizing online instead of print.

If your point was in reference to the Independent News Group, you might understand the apparent U-turn, if your issue is with a different publication, it’s possible the decision was taken away from those that made the initial announcement....can you provide some detail as to who the publication is and a rough timeline as to when the promise was made to when they went behind the paywall.

magicbastarder

Here's a very simple question - what's stopping you from paying for the newspaper's services? For example, I get full access to the Irish times online, plus it delivered to my door every Saturday, for a fiver a week. That's the price of a single pint (does anyone remember pints?)

khalessi

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Go buy a physical copy they are still for sale in shops that are open and pay for that or do you expect that to be free as well?

I generally dont epect anyting for free but paper are goood spreader of germs so I wont be buying a phyisial paper

khalessi

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Without having a go at you specifically, what other jobs (marked by the government as essential in a pandemic) do you think should be working for free at this time.?

Other papers have made just these articles free as mentioned by another poster so I put it here for discussion


Go buy a paper !

Full disclosure... I'm a member of the media !! (Although unemployed at the moment because my boss cut back at first opportunity)

Paper is a well known spreader of germs so I wont be buying a paper

khalessi

magicbastarder wrote: »

Here's a very simple question - what's stopping you from paying for the newspaper's services? For example, I get full access to the Irish times online, plus it delivered to my door every Saturday, for a fiver a week. That's the price of a single pint (does anyone remember pints?)

As previously stated I am just talking about the informative covid articles not the full paper

magicbastarder

that makes *no* sense. you want the 'good' stuff - or the stuff you're actually interested in - for free.
go walk into your local butcher and say 'we'll talk about paying for the offal later, but can you give me a leg of lamb for free now'

just take out the subscription, if you feel they're providing a service you wish to consume.

khalessi

magicbastarder wrote: »

that makes *no* sense. you want the 'good' stuff - or the stuff you're actually interested in - for free.
go walk into your local butcher and say 'we'll talk about paying for the offal later, but can you give me a leg of lamb for free now'

just take out the subscription, if you feel they're providing a service you wish to consume.

Maybe I already have but I thought it would make an intteresting discussion so I put it up here