Re:BuzzFeed News Asks Readers to Chip in with Donations
by geofft on Monday August 27, 2018 @11:16PM
(#17856339)
Paywalls seem to not actually be guaranteeing resources for journalism, in practice. If you mean "In the cases where paywalls work, ..." then sure. But that's exactly my point - what is a rational, profit-seeking, red-blooded, capitalist company to do when asking for donations is more likely to make money than selling goods and services?
I don't understand what the risk of subsidizing free riders is. Is subsidizing free riders a bad thing?
I don't understand why donors having fewer checks matters. Do donors have less power than customers of a paywall?
It’s a tragedy of the commons. Paywalls force everyone who values the content (and can afford it) to contribute. (This also guarantee resources for the organisation, which reinforces the content quality.) Donations, however, risk subsidising free riders who could have paid but didn’t. There are also fewer checks donors have on a private company than a non-profit.
There are plenty of quality journalism non-profits. There is no sane reason to donate to a private company over one of those groups.