Pay Walls

[poliphilo]

The pay walls have gone up at The Times and The Sunday Times. Goodbye guys, it was nice knowing you.

Of course Rupert Murdoch is entirely within his rights to charge for content, but I think he's miscalculating. He's an old bloke and he doesn't understand the Net. The old newspapers no longer have a monopoly on news and comment- and if they ask us to pay for what we've become accustomed to getting for free, we'll simply go elsewhere.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how things work out. 

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

The BBC site is key - which is why Murdoch will try to get his pals in the Tory government to go after it and whittle it down. But as things stand, it's the best place to find news and while it's there, nobody needs the Times.

I won't subscribe, not because I can't afford it but because I can't be bothered. Setting up accounts, remembering to pay, giving someone else my details - nah... As you say, he's old, I don't think he gets how available news is online.

(here accidentally following link from mutual friend)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

All the news sites carry the same material. If one of them nets an enormous scoop all the others will be onto it and following it up within minutes. All I'll miss are one or two of the Times' writers- notably Matthew Parris.