Published 6th August 2009

Whilst sitting by the pool on holiday I began reading a recent edition of Wired. In the same publication it was intriguing to see two completely contrasting views on the future of content on the web, especially considering it was from the powerhouses  News Corp and Google.

In short, News Corp think you should pay for content and Google believe it should be free. And to be honest I have to side on the position of New Corp. Rupert Murdoch has come out today to state the intention to charge. He said “Quality journalism is not cheap, and an industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalising its ability to produce good reporting”. A very valid point!!  In order to stop readers from moving to the huge number of free news websites, Mr Murdoch said News Corp would simply make its content “better and differentiate it from other people”. Others I believe will be watching this space closely. A hybrid model of user and advertising  funded has to be the model for media owners moving forward. 

Links to the articles in Wired:

Can Rupert Murdoch save online news?

Inside Google: Eric Schmidt, the man with all the answers