When should we pay for online content?

It is no surprise that in the era of digital information, print media is suffering. And as a recently laid-off newspaper employee, I can say this with a fair amount of certainty. The benefits of reading news online are clear: 1) it's free and 2) it's paperless. So what is the newspaper industry's solution to their losing battle?

Charge readers for online news content.

According to media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, "It is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning. The current days of [free content on] the Internet will soon be over.”

Is this even possible? Would people ever pay to read their news online when it has been available for free for so many years? Of course it sounds silly to pay for an online news article but think about it from the other side. A free press is at the foundation of our society and journalists have a responsibility to provide their community with accurate, well-researched, and timely information. But if the news industry stops making money, who will employ and pay journalists? And if journalists aren't getting paid, then they're stripped of their responsibility. And then who will be responsible for the news we read?

I'll conclude my Long Live Journalism rant with a recent quote from Butch Ward, a Poynter Institute Distinguished Fellow and veteran of the Philadelphia newspaper wars: "The disbanding of America's news-gathering force is gaining speed. And for a republic that relies on a free flow of credible information to thrive, we should all be frightened by this dismantling."