Like many newspapers around the country, the Washington Post has begun entertaining the idea of a paywall. The contradiction is not lost on observers, who only a year ago heard Post executives deny they would ever go behind a paywall.
NetNewsCheck reported early last month that CEO Donald Graham noted Post staff would begin studying different types of paywalls. The most popular has been the metered model, which top newspapers like the New York Times have adopted. MediaNews Group rolled out paywalls for its small to mid-sized paper in 2011 following the metered model. There are hard paywalls, like News Corporation’s Times of London and the Wall Street Journal. Alternately, readers of the online Boston Globe news can get content for free at Boston.com, but pay for more niche content at BostonGlobe.com. Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune raised a paywall several months ago offering a subscription for premium content that includes additional content from prestigious publications like the Economist, Forbes and Variety.
Other newspapers to go behind a paywall in the last year include Gannett, which switched 80 of its papers over to a paid model, excluding USA Today. McClatchy has begun to introduce paywalls to its papers, including the News & Observer and the Anchorage Daily News. The Los Angeles Times, Arizona Republic, Leader-Telegram, Indianapolis Star, Columbus Dispatch, Maine Times Record, Arlington Heights Daily Herald and Crain’s Chicago Business all launched paywalls in the past year.
Although it is unknown which model the Post may pick, if any, the arrival of the paper’s new executive editor Martin Baron, who was instrumental in the Boston Globe’s subscription model, has led some to believe the Post may split WashingtonPost.com like the Globe. But that remains to be seen as the New Year progresses.
Not all models are one size fits all, noted Steve Outing, a media analyst and program director of the Digital Test Kitchen at the University of Boulder. Where as Gannett decided against putting up a paywall on USA Today because it’s not unique enough to warrant payment, the Washington Post has a specialty in political news. “The Washington Post has a strong brand presence and a strong brand in covering politics,” he said. Outing noted the Post could even follow a model similar to Politico. The main site, Politico.com, is free, while Politico Pro is based on a subscription model and provides news on policy in the Washington, D.C., area.
Although newspapers everywhere seem to be going the way of the paywall, Outing said he only believes it’s a good strategy in the long-term when a paper has something unique and valuable to offer. Regardless of the continued paywall debate, even naysayers like the Post are getting on the bandwagon. As different models emerge, it will be interesting to see where the Post places its long-term bets.
-Katrina M. Mendolera
