COMMENTARY BY FARHAD MANJOO
Crazy Idea For Local News: Charge For It
How two tech-industry news sites, The Information and Stratechery, may show a path forward. There has been a surge in online subscriptions. Netflix is doing it for TV, Spotify for music and Patreon for podcasters and YouTubers. And many news outlets — big companies like The New York Times and start-ups like The Athletic, which covers sports — are making subscriptions the center of their journalism. Yet few entrepreneurs have jumped on the subscription bandwagon for local news. Here’s why someone should.
