Today, the BBC announced it’s introducing a paywall for consumers in the U.S. The move isn’t a total surprise — on June 15, The Guardian reported the plans were in the works — but it is a marked shift in strategy: it’s the first time the broadcaster will directly charge for its journalism…
Given that I’m stateside, this makes me sad. But given that they are funded by UK taxpayers, this is probably the right move.
Of course, that’s just one less outlet for USA citizens to get accurate journalism (better than here, anyway) about what’s happening in our country. Hope Al Jazeera doesn’t follow suit.
Although, you could also argue that those taxes pay for informing and influencing citizens of foreign nations.
America’s media ecosystem is dominated by Fox, Sinclair, and other state party media players. There is a strategic benefit to having a media outlet that doesn’t run through the state media filter.
This is a very important point. There is a reason there is a “cultural victory” in the Civilization games and the UK is definitely ceding cultural influence with this move.
Given that I’m stateside, this makes me sad. But given that they are funded by UK taxpayers, this is probably the right move.
Of course, that’s just one less outlet for USA citizens to get accurate journalism (better than here, anyway) about what’s happening in our country. Hope Al Jazeera doesn’t follow suit.
Although, you could also argue that those taxes pay for informing and influencing citizens of foreign nations.
America’s media ecosystem is dominated by Fox, Sinclair, and other state party media players. There is a strategic benefit to having a media outlet that doesn’t run through the state media filter.
This is a very important point. There is a reason there is a “cultural victory” in the Civilization games and the UK is definitely ceding cultural influence with this move.