CNN's Incoming Paywall

On April 25, 2024, I was at CNN and it was a busy news day. I went to article after article then, surprise, surprise, I got a message from CNN itself that I had never seen before:

"Hmm, a daily article limit," I thought to myself, "it looks like CNN is thinking about a paywall."

Lo and behold, from yesterday:

"CNN, one of the most popular news websites in the world, is starting to ask some of its visitors to pay $3.99 a month for access.

On Tuesday, the news organization is laying the first bricks in a so-called paywall that should, over time, help foot the bill for CNN’s journalism around the world.

'Starting today, we are asking users in the United States to pay a small recurring fee for unlimited access to CNN.com’s world-class articles,' Alex MacCallum, CNN’s executive vice president of digital products and services, wrote in an internal memo outlining the plan.

The average visitor to CNN’s website, who may only read a few articles a month, will not be prompted to pay at this time. 'Only after users consume a certain number of free articles will they be prompted to subscribe,' MacCallum explained. 'In addition to unlimited access to CNN.com’s articles, subscribers will receive benefits like exclusive election features, original documentaries, a curated daily selection of our most distinctive journalism, and fewer digital ads.....'"

Stop, stop, I can't read anymore, I am laughing too much.

Beacon of Speech's rebuttal:

• CNN is one of the most popular news websites in the world? Source please. Well CNN, of course.

• A Paywall will help fit the bill for CNN's journalism around the world? That makes CNN sound like propaganda. Maybe CNN should let the overseas market dictate whether they exist in any other given country.

• The average CNN consumer only reads a few articles a month? I find that hard to believe. Most people who hate CNN go to Fox. Those who love CNN are there for a hundred articles a month (that's only 3.3 per day.) Casual consumers only show up for hurricanes and assassination attempts. CNN is basically asking its loyal Left-Wing viewers to access a paywall as a subsidy to promote their Left-Wing values overseas.

• CNN's distinctive journalism? They are Woke, Left-Leaning, Partisan Hacks. They have a few token moderates, and no Right-Leaning journalists. If distinctive is code for "slanted," then yes, they have "distinctive" journalists. If I want 2 sides to a story, CNN is the wrong place to go.

• A paywall for fewer digital ads? I already don't like CNN and am ashamed of how often I am there. I will never pay for CNN. Ever. In July, we noticed the proliferation of ads at CNN, we counted 38 ads on a 2 minute article about Bhutan.

When I was a teen during the Ted Turner years, CNN became my go-to news source. I go there today because I'm too stupid to break old habits. If they install a pay wall, I will tear that band-aid off and drop them from my news rotation.

It's not a threat, I don't give any money to CNN now. To me, their worth is zero and I get what I pay for. They are currently losing money and exist off of the good graces of other profitable business lines in their multi-billion-dollar corporation.

You don't care what I think, Beacon of Speech is small potatoes? That's fair.

So I'll give the last word to The Atlantic: Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls - Why Journalism Should be Free, at Least During the 2024 Election.

You want the gist of The Atlantic article? I can't give it to you, it's behind a Paywall.

Seriously.