Newsday paywall alienates prized columnist
ADOTAS – While a loud quadrant continues to argue that charging for online content is the only way to save newspapers and magazines (and possibly even journalism as a whole), the possibility that “paywalls” could alienate prized commodities of journalism outposts reared its ugly head over the weekend.
Saul Friedman, a popular columnist for Newsday, has severed ties with the paper over its new paid content policy.
Last week Newsday owner Cablevision announced that subscribers to the newspaper and its cable and Internet services would still be able to access the Newsday.com for free, but everyone else will have to lay down $5 a week to browse most of the site’s content.
Friedman, who penned the column “Gray Matters” about aging, was quite nonplussed as he explained in a letter to Poynter Online, Jim Romenesko’s media blog. Friedman is more interested in having his writing spread, something he feels Cablevision’s paywall will inhibit. Instead he will contribute to timegoesby.net.
This would not be the first time prized writers for a newspaper experimenting with paid online content balked: The New York Times allegedly tore down its paywall for its marquee opinion columnists after they complained about suffering readership.
As newsrooms are shrinking and bureaus are shutting down, it would seem that reporters and editors are more clamoring for paid content structures. But big-time columnists are magnets for readership. If Friedman’s departure is emblematic, than online journalism outfits considering paywalls may be forced to decide which sections of their staff are more important to please.
Reader Comments.
No comments yet
Leave a Comment
Article Sponsor
More News
-
Loading ...
Latest News
- Hulu’s Bringing Its “A” Game But… March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – Hulu’s sales team is actively subverting the ad [...] more »
- Yelp! A class-action suit? March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – One of three civil suits against Yelp filed [...] more »
- Viacom Accuses Google; Testing Digital Millennium Copyright Act March 19th 2010 Viacom has accused Google of turning a blind eye to [...] more »
- Google to Leave China April 10th? March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – According to the China Business News, Google Inc [...] more »
- [x+1] Creates The Smartest Tagging System Around March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – Today, if you happen to be at the [...] more »
- IAB’s Video Standards Tackled By ADTECH March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – ADTECH, a part of AOL Advertising and an [...] more »
- Google Search and Mobile and….TV? Oh My! March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – Google wants to dominate your screens…. Not just [...] more »
Features
- Growing Pains March 19th 2010
- For Better or For Worse? March 18th 2010
- Yahoo! Wants to Get More Personal March 17th 2010
- Creative Considerations for the iPad March 16th 2010
- Amazon Leaves Colorado Affiliates Out in the Cold March 12th 2010
Spotlight
AdBidCentral’s CEO, Vivek Veeraraghavan Talks Openly*What was the inspiration to start AdBidCentral? The conditions that inspired AdBidCentral came from a variety of factors in my personal [...] more...
Reader Favorites
Classifieds
- ATT Senior Product Marketing Manager- Atlanta, GA
- Lead Online Marketing Manager eCommerce
- ATT Senior Marketing Manager, Healthcare, Bedminis
- Communications Fellow
- Sr Director, Marketing Services
Recent Comments
- Durk Price: This is one early adoption I would do!
- Rolv Heggenhougen: Companies invest a great deal in their website which in many cases is their only
- docreiss: I find it interesting that the author ("Bob") indicates the reader may have the "patients"
- Jedd Gould: I think you miss the point. Publications have to charge because the content most are
