News Corp will charge for newspaper websites, says Rupert Murdoch

Then they darn well better improve it’s design. When it first fiored up, I liked it, but now...It’s just too clunky. It has way too many things to hang up a scrolling mouse on, the site runs slowly. the comments pages are hard to keep track of what you post, and any replies, or threads...They went too glossy, and not enough clean functionality.

I realise that eventually, we are going to have to pay for online news content, but that’s not going to really come into effect, until enough free content providers, either go out of business, or survive till it’s easier for consumers to pay, or sit through ads, than it is to just click to other, free content websites.

No one website, or handful of news websites, are going to be able to charge for content at this point, without just chasing their consumers away. eople won’t pay for what they can get elsewhere for free.

Now I’m not saying it won’t eventually happen, but it’s going to take being able to offer something that people can’t get elsewhere, or as easily, in a form that is pleasing to them.

Till these forces work themselves to a definable relationship, they can just dream on about a working fiscal fee based model. It does appear they are trying...Is it AP that is cracking down on copyright protection against news aggragators like Google News?

“And there is no reason,tens of thousands of ordinary people can’t each attend public hearings,meetings, or even review the public police files and publish what they hear and see!”

And Obama’s feds will come after you for not being a federally licensed “journalist”...*grin*

That's the key - it has to be 1) unique content, and 2) unique content that people want. The WSJ has both.

It's possible that other papers could have such content, but they'll have to examine that carefully: What do they provide that no one else does and that readers actually want? For most papers, the answer will be: local news/sports coverage.

And they'll have to find a way to price it affordably.

Why pay?

Go to the democrat party website and the Socialist Internationale, download their daily press releases, and Presto! you have a so-called newspaper. Add in speeches from Hitler, Stalin and Mao and you have the editorial page commentary. Throw in a few rants from Anton Leve and there’s the religion page. Walk through a liberal big city and there’s your Arts and Entertainment section, plus the crime report.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.