Newspaper Has 'Stories Worth Sharing'.... Hidden Behind The Paywall

from the can't-share-'em dept

Tue, Jul 6th 2010 4:16pm — Mike Masnick

Reader Dementia points out this amusing example of newspapers and their paywalls, combined with the newspapers clearly not even realizing what their stories and headlines say. In this example, it's the Leader Telegram newspaper in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, which has an article entitled Bronze Star stories worth sharing. Sounds great, right? Only problem? If you open up the article, you get two paragraphs deep before you're hit with a paywall. So, apparently, the stories are only worth sharing if you pay, and then the people you share them with will have to pay as well. That seems rather obnoxious, doesn't it? "Hey, why don't you share these stories and make your friends and family pay to read them?" Generally speaking, if you're suggesting people "share" your stories, how about you make them shareable?

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Filed Under: journalism, newspaper, paywall, sharing
Companies: leader telegram

17 Comments

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Esahc (profile), 6 Jul 2010 @ 4:44pm

I wont share articles that have reg-walls let alone pay-walls.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 4:51pm

copy and paste, the best way to share since Al Gore invented the internet
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AdamBv1 (profile), 6 Jul 2010 @ 5:13pm

Re:
Pretty much this, I'm sure as hell not going to send somebody a link that they can't instantly get the info from.
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mrtraver (profile), 6 Jul 2010 @ 5:18pm

mine too
The newspaper in the nearest town bigger than my burg of 4000 has a partial paywall, but they at least don't encourage you to share the stories. You can read a few paragraphs, then hit the paywall (free for print subscribers) to read more. Being such a small market it is sometimes difficult to find local news from other sources, but the comments are open to all and usually I can get the rest of the story from them.
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tarzani (profile), 6 Jul 2010 @ 5:52pm

127.0.0.1 any site with a paywall or content i can't filter.

zero tolerance
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Vic, 6 Jul 2010 @ 6:44pm

Newspaper ...
... redefining the word "sharing"!
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jimbothegeek, 6 Jul 2010 @ 6:56pm

Re: mine too
i would try to see if you could get a bunch of the area on twitter and use it for local news reporting. could be an interesting and free approach to realtime news. be warned, it could turn into a gossip fest too (i grew up in small town america so i know)
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 7:10pm

actually, it would appear to be great marketing, offering just enough of the story to show that the content is interesting, and then offering up the service.

mike, your hatred of subscription services is such that you are blind to business models and marketing. too bad, it is a pretty big blind spot. speaking of which, when you signed up for netflix, was it a friend who recommended it? did you go check out the website and then join? was that not information worth sharing?

so much hating, you can see what is right in front of you.
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Karl (profile), 6 Jul 2010 @ 7:19pm

Joke
A guy walks into a bar with a duck on his head. When he sits down, the bartender says

The joke you've requested is available only to premium subscribers.

If you would like to become a premium subscriber, please pay me $5.00.

If anyone else tells you the punchline in the next five minutes, I will sue them.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 7:19pm

Re:
Oh, look, proof that TAM didn't even look at the article in question.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 7:38pm

"actually, it would appear to be great marketing, offering just enough of the story to show that the content is interesting, and then offering up the service."

Great marketing strategy for 1980 and maybe the beginning of the 90's after 2000 its just dumb.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 7:38pm

Re: Re:
"If you open up the article, you get two paragraphs deep before you're hit with a paywall." what part did i miss smartass?
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 9:17pm

Re: Re: Re:
The part where you cannot even see what the stories worth sharing are, perhaps.
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Rooker, 6 Jul 2010 @ 9:29pm

Re:
Same. And if I do it by accident, I apologize and go find a better link.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2010 @ 10:35pm

Re:
Yoda-lite.
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Richard (profile), 7 Jul 2010 @ 2:23am

Re:
actually, it would appear to be great marketing, offering just enough of the story to show that the content is interesting, and then offering up the service.

A great strategy to get people really angry with you. You couldn't find a better way to wind people up if you tried.

Like a prostitute turning up to a party, flirting with you and then revealing her true colours just as you thought you were getting somewhere.
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Richard (profile), 7 Jul 2010 @ 5:25am

Re: Joke
Guy walks into a bar with a duck on his head. The bartender looks up
and says "Where did you get that ape?" Guy says, "This isn't an ape,
it's a duck". Bartender says "I was TALKING to the duck".

See, your paywall doesn't work - now sue me!

(Hang on a minute - your punchline was better than mine...)
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