You are:

Would you pay for online news?

6 January 2010

News Corp, owners of the Sun and Times newspapers have announced plans to charge customers for news content from its websites.

Chief executive Rupert Murdoch said that "Quality journalism is not cheap, and an industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalising its ability to produce good reporting."

Mr Murdoch also remarked that the media giant would simply make its content "better and differentiate it from other people" to ensure customers pay for content, but would you pay for online news?

  • Is it only fair that people should pay to access content from news sites? Is this a sign that free online content is coming to an end?
  • Is charging for online news wrong and does this approach go against the spirit of the internet as a globally accessible communications tool?

What is your view on this? Have your say, and debate the issue here on PCS comment, and a selection of the comments will be published in View, the monthly magazine for PCS members.
 

Tab Comment

  1. View comments
  2. Add a new comment

Tab Comment content

  1. No Way!

    15 January 2010

    If people wish to pay for online news that is entirely up to them, but there is absolutely no way that I would give Mr Murdoch a single penny, a man who likes to feel that he can make or break governments.

    Lin Black
    No

    14 January 2010

    I would pay for a newspaper or printed news content as I would physically own it, but wouldn't pay for something that is already accessible to all anyway.

    Kathleen LeFevre
    Why pay for something that you can already get for free?

    14 January 2010

    I already pay for my internet use, that's enough for me. I wouldn't pay for news online, especially when I can get it free elsewhere.

    Sophia Long
    The internet has never been free

    11 January 2010

    Many sites on the internet already charge users for access to their content - this is not an unusual thing. However when looking at online news you have to wonder who Newscorp thinks is going to pay for access to their particular news sites when so many others (such as all the other papers, BBC, ITV, etc) will still be free. All that is likely to happen is that people will stop visiting the Newscorp sites. However their move may not be unique - with the advent of eReaders with wireless connections many newspapers will shortly be offering online subscriptions, a move which may increasingly lead to news being a comodity on the net which you have to pay for.

    Edd Husband
    I'd go elsewhere.

    6 January 2010

    My current primary source of online news is The Guardian. If they were to start charging I'd just rely more heavily on the BBC site (which is worth the license fee in itself) and Indymedia et. al. You certainly wouldn't get me contributing a penny to Murdoch's megalomania, beit through online news, printed news or Sky.

    Dave Plummer
    1 | 2 | Next Last
  2. Add new comment

    All comments will be moderated before publication. PCS does not guarantee that all comments will be published. Please see our comments policy for more information.