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The Washington Post Plans to Go Behind a Paywall This Summer

Today, The Washington Post announced that they will be the latest publication to put some content behind a paywall. The move will take place some time this summer, and the Post is still in the process...
The Washington Post Plans to Go Behind a Paywall This Summer
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Today, The Washington Post announced that they will be the latest publication to put some content behind a paywall.

    The move will take place some time this summer, and the Post is still in the process of determining exactly how much to charge readers. The paywall will pop up after readers access more than 20 articles a month.

    According to a post in (yes) The Washington Post, there are a few groups who will be exempt from having to pay to view articles. This includes home-delivery subscribers as well as student, teachers, government employees, and military personnel who access the Post’s website while at school/work.

    The Post’s homepage, as well as all section front pages and all classified ads will not be hidden behind the paywall.

    “News consumers are savvy; they understand the high cost of a top-quality news gathering operation and the importance of maintaining the kind of in-depth reporting for which The Post is known,” Katharine Weymouth, publisher of The Post, said in a statement. “Our digital package is a valuable one, and we are going to ask our readers to pay for it and help support our news gathering as they have done for many years with the print edition.”

    According to The Washington Post, the company will also release and new iPad app alongside the paywall, which they hope will attract more subscribers.

    The Washington Post joins a handful of major media outlets to go the paywall route, including the The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times. Although WaPo doesn’t have the national distribution of the NYT or the WSJ, 90% of their online audience comes from outside the Washington area.

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