The Rocky Tale of Newspapers

So what can these newspapers do? I confess, though I actually lose sleep over the plight of the free press, even I don’t actually subscribe to a newspaper. Am I part of the problem? Am I another leech of the internet age when everything is free?

I don’t think so. The problem with newspapers is that they think that their options are to sell printed copies or to give their content away for free online. Efforts to sell online subscriptions haven’t worked, so what other options are there?

Newspapers of the world, I have the answer. You are forgetting a major news media empire, capable of producing world class news and information and desemminating it to a vast national, even global, audience, without a subscription fee. Newspapers, meet National Public Radio. 

The concept is simple because, until recently, it was technologically impossible to charge for radio, so everybody gets it for “free.” NPR asks its viewers to donate money (as government funds make up a small fraction of operating costs) and because the product is so excellent in the eyes of its audience, people pay. Lots. Boston’s chapter, WBUR, is expanding its staff almost annually, with reporters all over the globe.

I also think of another source of media where users preview material for free and then press a button to automatically, painlessly, and thoughtlessly charge their accounts to purchase the media. Newspapers, meet Itunes.

So here is the idea. Newspapers need to create webpages that are a cross between Itunes and what they have now. Buttons can be pressed to read articles for free, but buttons, banners, flyers, and such can prompt users for donations (I’m thinking a one-click system that charges $.05 an article, gathers up those charges until they hit $5, and then automatically charge the user’s credit card). Perhaps seasonal fund drives might ask for larger donations. The point is, I don’t think I’ve even officially been asked by boston.com, the Washington Post, or any other news media to contribute money for the material I’ve viewed. EVER! With enough promotion and a seemless interface, they might be missing out on tons of money. Radiohead did it, Nine Inch Nails did it, so maybe the papers can figure it out too.

The open source nature of the internet is hard to fight, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t contribute to a product that they prize. Many customers would gladlyy pay. Would that be enough, or would most people still read articles for free? Probably, but it would be a start. One thing is clear, we need more news, better news, and better coverage of increasingly difficult and complex issues. Even setting that fact aside, newspapers cannot continue this way, and they cannot rely on a resurgence of the very ungreen printing presses.