It’s kinda long, but I think this is one of the most complete critiques I’ve read in a while with regards to exactly why paywalls truly are a horrible idea as an attempt to help “save” mainstream newspapers in the digital age. Ironically, although it may be sad to see the medium itself eventually dry up altogether, it’s kind of interesting to think of this new generation of media distribution which, although may not bear the same (blind) numbers that traditional papers used to command, will actually end up producing more engaged readers and as a result, probably more valuable content for those passionate fans to enjoy.
Now what everyone else will be reading in the meantime, I don’t know, but then again, there really was never much proof of what they were genuinely engaging with in newspaper, either…
Newspapers, Paywalls, and Core Users
http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/01/newspapers-paywalls-and-core-users/
There has never been a mass market for good journalism in this country. What there used to be was a mass market for print ads, coupled with a mass market for a physical bundle of entertainment, opinion, and information; these were tied to an institutional agreement to subsidize a modicum of real journalism.