Should we pay for the news?

Elmo

Newspaper owners all seem to be gearing up to lay blame for dwindling sales because of RTÉ's web based news service (not that any independent broadcasters provide free news on their websites).

Newspapers set to clash with RTE over web news

Newspaper owners are gearing up for a clash with RTE over its free news website, as publishers move to charge for online content.

The issue is to be raised at government level, with newspaper owners saying that RTE should not be allowed to use taxpayers’ money to provide news for free in competition with commercial publishers.

The representative group for the newspaper industry, National Newspapers of Ireland, is preparing a policy document on the issue.

However, RTE says its online operation is a ‘‘necessary and important’’ service for domestic and overseas audience. Recent legislation appeared to clear the way for the use of licence fee money for online services.

John Fleming, who heads business development for Thomas Crosbie Holdings, which owns the Sunday Business Post and 16 other papers, voiced concern over RTE’s news sites.’ ‘I think there has to be an awareness among the political class that news media is under pressure around the world, and Ireland is no different," he said.

Joe Webb, managing director of Independent News and Media (INM) Ireland, said the group was trialling a fee structure for its 13 regional titles, and would ‘‘absolutely’’ start charging for its daily and Sunday papers. However, he said RTE’s online services presented a problem.

‘‘The biggest issue for the entire newspaper market is RTE. It is a big problem for us, it’s a big problem for the industry and for the government, I suggest," said Webb.

‘‘RTE is bundling advertising across magazines, radio stations, TV stations and now online. It’s supposed to have public broadcast remit, yet it’s wandering into all kinds of commercial areas which are potentially damaging the Irish economy and jobs."

Liam Kavanagh, managing director of the Irish Times, also said there were concerns over RTE’s online offering.’ ‘The state broadcaster has a lot of resources that it is putting into its website and it is becoming a publisher as opposed to a broadcaster," he said.

A spokesman for RTE said the broadcaster strongly believed in the need to offer a full range of services to the public, and provide content that licence-fee holders had already paid for

This issue seems to becoming a widespread as Rupert Murdock stated that he would be taking his titles away from the free model, taking issue with Google's use of News Corps services.

So, is it time that we paid for our news content. Our should the newspaper publishers really thinking about new forms of income from their online publications. And can they lay the blame fully at RTÉ's doorstep? (Or for that matter all of the broadcasters around the world that provide free news on the web).

Oh this is my last post I don't usually post in News and Media, every now and then something takes my interest and I post here. I mainly post in Television and Cable & Digital TV forums. It has been 8 years and 10,000 posts, I think I have said enough.

deisebabe

We already pay for RTE via our tv license. If newspapers want to start charging then good luck to them. The way I see it is that RTE has to provide this service for us without charging us AGAIN.

I wouldn't pay for news unless I couldn't get it anywhere else so I dont see this working in ireland since we have paid for the RTE service. If this ridiculous tv license fee was abolished then I feel that all news sources would have the ability to charge; and there is a good chance I'd pay 70 - 80 euros a year for the news online.

Maybe a newspaper campaign to abolish the tv license? After all I never watch rte1, 2 or tnag(is that tg4 now or was it that originally? i dont even know that!)

10,000 posts? I'm sure you have more left in you!

NewDirection

Elmo wrote: »

This issue seems to becoming a widespread as Rupert Murdock stated that he would be taking his titles away from the free model, taking issue with Google's use of News Corps services.

So, is it time that we paid for our news content. Our should the newspaper publishers really thinking about new forms of income from their online publications. And can they lay the blame fully at RTÉ's doorstep? (Or for that matter all of the broadcasters around the world that provide free news on the web).

The newspaper publishers should really be thinking about new forms of income from their online publications.

What value are newspapers bringing, over free news services?
Most of their stories are straight from Reuters anyway.

Elmo wrote: »

Oh this is my last post I don't usually post in News and Media, every now and then something takes my interest and I post here. I mainly post in Television and Cable & Digital TV forums. It has been 8 years and 10,000 posts, I think I have said enough.

IRE60

As I was reading that yesterday I did get some idea of where they are coming from. The TV licence remit was, originally, for broadcasting. But that now is being used for other ventures.

You could see the argument – in a way.

The laughable points of the debate were that the papers reaction times are dead slow, perhaps 7 or 8 years late.

The fact that Johnston Press have just abandoned its paywall on its regionals due to zero takeup would indicate that that model will not work for regional’s here either. But still, let’s throw some bad money after worse.

MagicSean

I think the papers need to realise that the internet is not responable for the decline in sales. The decline in newspaper standards is the cause.

I like how they refer to competition in the market and then quote a rep from the comapny that owns 17 newspapers.

kpbdublin

NewDirection wrote: »

What value are newspapers bringing, over free news services?
Most of their stories are straight from Reuters anyway.

Any evidence for that?

NewDirection

kpbdublin wrote: »

Any evidence for that?

Well, if not from Reuters, from another Reuters like company.

Google some text from most nest stories and you'll find the same story word for word in many other papers. It's not coincidence.

bored and fussy

k_mac wrote: »

I think the papers need to realise that the internet is not responable for the decline in sales. The decline in newspaper standards is the cause.

I like how they refer to competition in the market and then quote a rep from the comapny that owns 17 newspapers.

i have given up buying newspapers not because i cannot afford one or two a week i used to buy threee on sundays but no more, no more.

i am sick of opionated journalists with their political bias going on.
i watch the main news on television/ radio and sky and bbc for the extra.
should i pay for rte news,? yes i do already i pay a license fee and most of that goes on some other opionated journalists. I will not pay anymore.

kpbdublin

NewDirection wrote: »

Well, if not from Reuters, from another Reuters like company.

Google some text from most nest stories and you'll find the same story word for word in many other papers. It's not coincidence.

Obviously Irish papers have to rely on news agencies for much of their foreign news. Because they are relatively small you cannot expect them to have a reporter in every country. When it comes to Irish news, however, the vast majority of stories are produced by the papers themselves.

shotgun mike

kpbdublin wrote: »

Obviously Irish papers have to rely on news agencies for much of their foreign news. Because they are relatively small you cannot expect them to have a reporter in every country. When it comes to Irish news, however, the vast majority of stories are produced by the papers themselves.

+1 - Foreign news will always have to be wire copy - or copy from guardian, telegraph etc... but I do agree that most home news is still produced by the paper themselves