There are only two newspaper in Alabama that I know of that charge for full access to their online product: The Anniston Star and The Decatur Daily. Of the big national papers, The Wall Street Journal is the largest example of a pay-to-read online operation. Now Wired is reporting that "a leak has sprung" in the Journal's pay-wall. The N.Y. Times tried for a while to charge for "Select" content, including its premier columnists, but later abandoned the effort. It has been the biggest stumbling block in the transitioning newspaper business. The readers are online, but are refusing, or are at least reluctant, to pay.
Perhaps one reason for a "pay per view" model of news is not successful (nor likely will be) is that news, by colloquial definition, is gossip. And gossip, my friend, is free.
ReplyDeleteThough some make million$ by peddling it in various venues, printed and broadcast, it is nevertheless, gossip.
And just for the sake of understanding, gossip is "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true."
So regardless of whether an event is "news" or not. People will talk. Here's where the truth model of news becomes important.
The rise of gossip shows such as Oprah, Jerry Springer, The View, et al and their low-life kissing cousins of "reality" shows in all their disgust, are part and parcel of the greater problem, insofar as they do not talk about truth, but talk about others' opinions of others' opinions, and other such nonsense.
For example, can't you imagine seeing Governor Bob Riley, Attorney General Troy King, President Obama, Karl Rove, Don Siegelman and Federal Prosecutor for the northern district of Alabama, Alice Martin on the Jerry Springer Show?
We'd expect a free for all! Truly!
However, but for their own sense of decorum (whatever that may or may not be), we would witness a free-for-all.
Thus, newsgatherers job is to find the truth, rather than to report a "he said, she said" kind of blather. Unfortunately, it is that low level to which many "news" organizations have stooped. News should be about investigation, uncovering injustice, righting wrongs, and speaking truth to power.
The prophet's only responsibility is to obey what the God told them to do (remember Jonah?), and leave the rest or result in His hands.
News agencies should be prophetic much like the prophet Nathan spoke to King David when the LORD spoke to him to confront him with his sin (of adultery with Bathsheba, and conspiracy to kill her husband), exclaiming "Thou art the man!"