Paying for News

A cartelization is happening in Slovakia, a country with a population of 5.7m, on the web news media front.

From BBC Website,

Slovakia has become the first country to erect a paywall that encompasses nearly all of its main media outlets. Since 2 May users have been asked to pay a flat fee of €2.90 (£2.57) that entitles them to access to all nine news sites under the scheme.

Slovak media goes behind paywall

Recently NY Times had also started their project involving Paying for news. I am sure some of you will say, this had to come. The main argument being presented by media folks is the fact that they are not able to cope up with the expenditure that is involved in print media, advertising revenue is not sufficent to mange their operations etc.

I really don't know what I think of this situation. Personally, I have not yet got accustomed to the idea of paying for Internet news.

What I do wonder sometimes is the fact that Why do news papers have 40-60 pages everyday? Do media organizations wonder who they are trying to target? Or the idea is that let me put everything that is out there into news paper and let people decide what they have to read. I wonder, How many news organizations make their news paper engaging for a reader? Print accurate news/analysis and ask genuine questions.

I think that 'Paying for news' will be sooner reality that anyone might like to think.