That Was Fast: News Corp's Just Launched iPad-Only Publication Losing Journalists
from the into-the-lifeboats dept
We had warned from early on that News Corp's "iPad-only" fee-based publication, The Daily, was a disaster in the making. After a ton of hype, and launching a few weeks ago to a ton of overwrought praise, all we've been hearing is that people aren't buying. A bunch of folks checked it out early, and then it more or less disappeared off the map. And now, it appears that staffers are bailing at a rapid rate. Of course, in the run up to launch, there was all this talk about how Murdoch was hiring a ton of big name journalists and staffers away from other publications. To see a bunch of them rushing out the door, barely weeks after the launch, suggests this may be a failure of epic proportions.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: ipad, paywalls, platforms, the daily
Companies: news corp.
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Why isn't there a law that keeps rats from abandoning a sinking...er, employees from leaving a business with a perfectly valid business model?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
I think he's also a pirate.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Hmmm..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Hmmm..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Hmmm..
We're geniuses! We should start up a business.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Hmmm..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hmmm..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
How do you make money of these failure?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Sadly, I am responsible for the failure of the The Daily...
I recently wrote a new program that creates "Droves" very efficiently and I have been flooding the internet with them.
Unfortunately, these Droves are the kind that "stay away".
Sorry Mr. Murdoch.
I shall expect a call from your lawyers shortly.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Bobble Heads
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Bobble Heads
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Competition?
Not that they will take the world by storm, but that doesn't seem to be the direction all this is going anyway. Its not about one product, not even about one method. Its about choice, and The Daily leaves you with one source of news and one method in one app... and you pay more! then again, The Daily might be one of those options that you get to choose from... I just don't see it being the savior it was publicized as.
No, I'm not saying it has to be free. Yes, of course journalists need to make a living. But it has to happen in today's world with today's technology and today's expectations. Putting a newspaper into the iPad does not change the newspaper or fix the problem they have.
Be it advertising or CwF+RtB (I'm thinking free headlines with photos and videos to complement/link to youtube, twitter, facebook etc, and in-depth analysis paid per article or subscription options... but I'm no expert) the need for change is here, and those who don't take a risk or leap of faith and try something new will be left behind.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The Competition?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: The Competition?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]