Since the 1990's news has been available for free, to anyone with access to the Internet. Recently news organizations are trending more towards online subscription news and away from paper and free Internet forms. In the near future it is possible that free Internet news could be a relic of a bygone age. The consequences of paid news may be far greater than they immediately appear.
The Internet revolutionized the way news is consumed. With a few clicks one can read all of the; local, national, international, and field specific headlines, read in depth opinions of experts, and watch video coverage of almost any news story. Before the Internet, newspapers and television news were the main methods of consumption. Both these venues have distinct disadvantages when it comes to the amount of material available. Newspapers have limited space and television newscasts have limited time. The advent of Internet news allowed people to browse a wide range of news that interested them. In fact free web news has been so successful that many people are canceling their subscriptions to traditional newspapers.
News corporations are discovering that advertising revenue from online news media does not always exceed the monetary loss of reduced subscriptions of print media. As a result many news organizations are experimenting with paid subscriptions. The New York Times still offers all of its online articles for free; however, paying consumers gain access to a large database of online crossword puzzles and other "extras". Many newspapers such as USA Today, have introduced limited online subscription programs. These papers still offer numerous web articles for free. For a fee, however, you get the entire newspaper in an electronic format. The Journal News has introduced a more inclusive subscription service, articles on their website are free for a limited time only. After that, only paid subscribers can read those articles.
None of these subscription services have threatened the availability of free online news, or the benefits it brings. The recent release of The Daily however, has challenged the idea that Internet news will always remain free. The Daily is an electronic only newspaper created by Newscorp. Designed for, and only available on, Apple's iPad, the daily is a game changer when it comes to the world of online news. The Daily is much like any other newspaper, with its own reporting staff and original content. Of course it incorporates many features not possible in a print newspaper such as local weather information and video.
Many people believe that The Daily will contribute to the demise of print media. I feel that a greater concern might be the threat to free online news. What The Daily offers is basically the same as many free online news sites. For now, it is only on the iPad but soon it will be offered on other mobile devices and probably on computers in the not too distant future. If it is successful, other news corporations, who offer their online news content for free, may start similar online newspapers. While it is unlikely that free online news will be discontinued, a severe reduction in content is highly probable.
If the availability of free online news where reduced it could have wide reaching effects. I am concerned that a small number of corporations may be able to control what news we read. When news is offered for free, it allows someone to consume news from multiple sources. However, it is unlikely that most people would subscribe to more than one or two paid newspapers. As a result, the one corporation that produces the newspaper to which you subscribe decides what news is important for you to read. The overall political views of the news company dictate what is and what is not said about particular candidates. It would be highly unlikely that news that reflects poorly on the corporation owning your newspaper would even be published. Even with the best of intentions and totally honest reporting, some selection still occurs.
E-newspapers may also extend the time it takes for stories to be reported. If your newspaper breaks the story you will experience no delay in reading it. However, if the news is first reported by another paper, you will have to wait longer to find out.
Much of the paid online content is worth its price. However, it is important to remember how our decisions as consumers might affect the future. If you decide to purchase a subscription to a newspaper like The Daily, you are not just subscribing to a particular service, but you are, in fact, voting on how you wish to consume news.
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