(A Few) More People Are Willing To Pay For Online News
What’s the Latest Development?
A new study conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reveals that the number of those who have paid for online news content in the last year has increased by a third on average. However, that brings the total to 10 percent, which means that free news is still the best news for many online users. The study was based on a data from a poll of more than 11,000 people across nine countries. Among the many interesting facts found was this: In the US, people who owned iPads and iPhones were more likely to pay for online news.
What’s the Big Idea?
The study should make certain news organizations feel a little better about constructing online paywalls — The Washington Post just put theirs up this month — but it’s uncertain when or if paying for news will ever become the norm. Also noted among the findings was the impact of social media as a source: For people under the age of 35, it was their primary conduit for discovering news. At the same time, in the UK at least, the level of trust in the accuracy of the information found wasn’t nearly as high for Facebook and Twitter as it was for newspaper and television sites.
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