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TheProle

(3,898 posts)
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 05:07 PM Jun 2025

From Pew Research: Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls

The dismal failure of digital media monetization...

So basically people just walk away from paywalls, get the "same" info from other "outlets" or just check out over lack of interest.

Meanwhile, "influencers" cherry-pick from real journalism, slap a click-baity headline on it and use it to shape half-baked partisan narratives to make that sweet, sweet lucre from views and flood the internet with slop.

Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls

The survey also asked anyone who said they ever come across paywalls what they typically do first when that happens.

Just 1% say they pay for access when they come across an article that requires payment.

The most common reaction is that people seek the information somewhere else (53%). About a third (32%) say they typically give up on accessing the information.


https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/24/few-americans-pay-for-news-when-they-encounter-paywalls/
13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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From Pew Research: Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls (Original Post) TheProle Jun 2025 OP
No duh! PuraVidaDreamin Jun 2025 #1
Ya beat me to it! UTUSN Jun 2025 #2
WHEN will they do the pay-per-article thing Dan Rather mentioned a long time ago Skittles Jun 2025 #3
Not sure where you live but have you tried your local library's website? AStern Jun 2025 #6
no but I will check into that Skittles Jun 2025 #7
This is true! intheflow Jun 2025 #12
another reason why I support our local libraries! Skittles Jun 2025 #13
I'm aware this is slightly dishonest canetoad Jun 2025 #4
12ft.io has entered the chat purple_haze Jun 2025 #5
Enshittification. n/t flvegan Jun 2025 #8
i wonder if this is worse lately. mopinko Jun 2025 #9
Democracy Dies behind paywalls ThoughtCriminal Jun 2025 #10
Sun slated to rise in east tomorrow (n/t) Retrograde Jun 2025 #11

PuraVidaDreamin

(4,451 posts)
1. No duh!
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 05:22 PM
Jun 2025

I cannot afford all the trusted sources I know.

And that is just how those magots like it.

Skittles

(169,515 posts)
3. WHEN will they do the pay-per-article thing Dan Rather mentioned a long time ago
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 05:41 PM
Jun 2025

(I mean like, it would cost a few cents) - there are a LOT of articles I wish I could read but I cannot pay for dozens of "subscriptions"

AStern

(681 posts)
6. Not sure where you live but have you tried your local library's website?
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 06:20 PM
Jun 2025

Some have e-media options that include major newspapers.

intheflow

(29,986 posts)
12. This is true!
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 09:34 AM
Jun 2025

I’m a librarian and with our databases you can read the daily paper, the NYT, and the Boston Globe the day they come out.

canetoad

(20,205 posts)
4. I'm aware this is slightly dishonest
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 05:52 PM
Jun 2025

I use NoScript - a browser extension that prevents various server-side scripts from running when a site loads. For many paywalled news sites, I can still read the text; some images and things like surveys (ugh), videos and other non-text elements may or may not appear. Doesn't really matter if all you want is the actual news.

This does not work on every site; I can't read any murdoch sites but then I don't want to. There are a few others but not enough to cut me off from up to date news. Sometimes the settings need to be tweaked a bit and the learning curve can look daunting but it's really not difficult and freely available on browser extension pages.

mopinko

(73,307 posts)
9. i wonder if this is worse lately.
Wed Jun 25, 2025, 08:25 PM
Jun 2025

i'm sure i'm not the only person sick of msm bullshit. cancelled my wapo, and dont even want to give my email to read a gift nyt article.
meanwhile the propaganda is free.

imho giving a certain number of freebies is smart business, but that's getting rare.

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