The New York Times executive editor Bill Keller is answering readers' questions online, but one day we might have to pay to read those answers.
When asked if the paper would accept donations to support such a valuable service that is currently free online, Keller brought up subscriptions. He said:
Really good information, often extracted from reluctant sources, truth-tested, organized, and explained — that stuff wants to be paid for. So far, it gets paid for mainly by advertisers, but a lively, deadly serious discussion continues within the Times about ways to get consumers to pay for what we make.
He went on to describe possible ways to get money from web users, including: putting the entire site behind a wall only accessible to subscribers; making people pay as they go a la iTunes; or promoting versions for reading devices like Kindle that cost money to download.
Armani Jeans
Celine
O'Neill
You couldn't pay me to read the NY Times.
1I dont think I could ever pay to read anything online. It would feel to weird.
2Pay for news, when there are so many other outlets for free? Not this news junkie.
3nope i'll go to the BBC website, free and impartial lol
4If we lose access to many more reputable (however you want to define that) news sites, we're going to be in serious trouble. I'd pay for articles - and I'd subscribe to a site that offered articles from a variety of sources, but I wouldn't subscribe to news from one source.
5No way! Love the NY Times, but I also love BBC News and that will always be free and like nyaradzom200 said; impartial. Nothing is as good as BBC news...
6No way! If I want to read the paper I'll buy it. At least then I'll have something to hold in my hand for my money
7No Way Jose! The New York Times has multiple personality dissorder big time. IMO they've lost their reputation over the years by allowing too much gossip to get threw as news. When they learn how to print news based on facts instead of propaganda I may reconcider.
8I wouldn't only pay for the NYT, and I don't see the idea of them charging for access to online articles working out.
9I wouldn't pay for the NYT.
10I would think charging for online access would actually lose them money because not enough people would subscribe and advertisers wouldn't want to pay as much.
11Why would I pay for an online news source when there are so many free options? That makes no sense whatsoever!
12With newspapers and other media suffering serious financial losses, there may not be an everlasting supply of free, REPUTABLE, news options.
13Why would ANYONE pay for the NYT online? There are so many other, free news sources.
14stephley, with as much gossip as the NYT passes as news, I have to laugh at the idea of them being REPUTABLE
15Earlier I said you could define reputable any way you want. The point is, journalism that has some accountability. It isn't just the times having financial troubles.
16I already pay for my internet. I'm not paying for my news too.
17No way -I read the NYT but my favorite news source is bbc anyway.
18never. Why when I have 24 hour news on my satellite?
19No way. It wouldn't cross my mind to pay for it even for one day. There are too many places out there on the Internet and cable to get your daily news and special coverage.
20The NYT may not be what it used to be and it isn't for everyone - but the concept of paying for access to news should not be discarded to readily. Everyone should have access to information and news and perhaps too high a price might exclude the poor but if we support quality journalism we shouldn't scoff at the idea of paying something for it. Someone has to pay for the journalist and the researchers. Less we turn it over to the advertisers completely.
21I pay for the economist, and the Financial Times and they are IMO of much higher quality than the W.Post and NYT - but again you have to pay for it.
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