I currently go to the Herald Sun website once a day, sometimes more, to check their take on news stories. I am far less likely to go to the Herald Sun website once they erect their paywall next month. Why? because I don’t view the Herald Sun as a go-to news source. Plenty of the content reflects opinion and I don’t want to pay for opinion, not when the slant is so predictable.
There are plenty of free news sources covering Australian and international news. I don’t see the value in paying to access content when less slanted versions of the same stories are available elsewhere and for free. I’ll pass my time elsewhere.
The problem with the paywall model is that it’s an all or nothing model. You have to pay for access beyond the wall. The thing is, occasionally I might want to get to the other side of the paywall for a story which interests me and which I trust. Publishers should let me access this story without having to sign up for the rest of their bundle and for a time based commitment which does not suit my needs.
Let me pay a few cents to access a single story. Gee, I bet newspaper publishers could make more money from this approach than their current old and out of date subscription model.
Publishers need to think of their single copy over the counter customer. This customer is vital and valuable in the print world. The current newspaper paywall models ignore this customer. This doesn’t make sense given their tremendous value to publishers over the years.
So there are two challenges for the Herald Sun – that it more an opinion publication than a newspaper and that the paywall is based on an out of date subscription model. Maybe I will be wrong but I don’t see the paywall providing the level of revenue they will need as people migrate from ink to pixels.
In terms of news access, the vote on the Labor leadership is a good example. Journalists on Twitter provided me not only with up to the minute news coverage, they also provided links to free stories offering analysis. I do not need to pay to see what Andrew Bolt or other Herald Sun columnists think – they are so predictable. I might read a Bolt column when I have the paper in my hand but it’s not a reason to pay to get to the other side of the paywall.
The Herald Sun invests considerable ink in telling people what to think.
The good thing is, it will force more people to look at the ABC news site.
No sensationalism there, just good in depth journalism.
Just read Alan Kohlers article on the European credit crisis, learnt more from that than I would’ve in six months reading the Herald Sun.
Rupert Murdoch’s paywalls might make us all a bit smarter.
Interesting points. The newspaper industry is sinking because of the internet. They need to claw back some revenue from it, but they haven’t really worked out a reasonable business model.
I will never pay for newspaper content online because like you I recognise that they are not only telling me the news (whatever they’ve deemed ‘newsworthy’ that day) but they also put spin on it.
Especially Murdoch!
One other point.
Why would I want to give my personal and credit card details to a company with the demonstrated ethics of News Corporation?
As a long time and frquent visitor to heraldsun.com.au – and a purchaser of the print edition to read at work, I have to say that I have already made the switch to the ABC and The Age for online content. I’m not even going to waste my time signing up for a free trial on HS. I only buy it for work because The Age and The Australian are too big to fit on my lunch table, but with my new smartphone I might make an entire switch to online and read The Age or ABC news at work. HS is really just a tabloid anyway.
So the ABC is “No sensationalism there, just good in depth journalism” – I don’t think so. It’s always got a far left twist to it.
It’s actually balanced Max and this is why it looks left leaning compared to some media outlets in Australia.
It is going to be interesting on how Paywall will be received. I am sure it will be a work in progress and at this point I feel that the Newspaper publishers will not give in on this. It will be given every opportunity to suceed.
I am sure they will have some tricks up their sleeves to at least get customers through the Paywall initially, then I believe we will see how it will be received. I think it will be years before we know if this model will work. I know I would not put all my eggs in one basket.
Brett’s comment is unfourtunately spot on.
goodbye heraldsun , any news site that FORCES me to join up to read local news isn’t worth it , i’m stunned they did this.
I won’t pay for something I have had for free for 13 years and something I can already get for free elsewhere. HS model = FAIL. Should have asked me…I have much experience with this stuff