One might ask "what are the technological obstacles to charging for online content?" Well it is almost impossible to make EVERYONE pay for online content. For instance, this article, originally published on New York Times Plus, can be found by just typing in the article name on Google. One way or another, most articles in paid online subscriptions end up on another site. Take this from a poor college student, who along with everyone else presently in the multimedia newsroom, has found an article this way for a class.
Secondly, online newspaper subscriptions don't work because they decrease readership. Let's face it, people don't like to pay to read! If they did, the library would charge you to check out books like Blockbuster! I am a sports fanatic but I refuse to subscribe to ESPN.com's "insider" to get the best sports coverage. I enjoy reading but not enough to pay for everyday news and analysis.
There is no doubt the the downward trend newspaper circulation needs to be fixed but charging for online content is not the solution. Instead, as stated in the article above, newspapers need to apply for a waiver from the DO NOT CALL list and go back to basics.
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