Major News Outlets Bring Down Paywalls to Share Hurricane Harvey News

As Hurricane Harvey pummeled the Texas coast starting late last week, news outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the

Subscription News: Major News Outlets Bring Down Paywalls to Share Hurricane Harvey News

Source: Bigstock

As Hurricane Harvey pummeled the Texas coast starting late last week, news outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Houston Chronicle brought down their paywalls, making people, safety and information a priority over revenue. Some provided free access for a limited time, while other outlets continue to offer free access of storm-related news to non-subscribers.

On Monday, The Times explained its rationale behind bringing down the paywall for storm-related stories, a joint decision made by editorial and business staff.

‘We wanted to make sure our coverage of the hurricane was as widely read as possible, particularly because of the public safety issues,’ said Clifford Levy, deputy managing editor overseeing digital platforms at The Times. ‘It was really important that as many people as possible read these stories.’

‘We see this as part of our mission,’ Levy added. ‘We see this as a public service to provide this information to the world at times like this.’

David Rubin, senior vice president and head of brand for The New York Times, said that it is a difficult decision to bring down a paywall, but he said it is important in situations like this when people’s lives are at stake.

‘People get to experience what sets us apart,’ Rubin said. ‘Every news organization is covering the hurricane and its aftermath. I think you get a different level of understanding from The Times.’

The Times did not say how long the paywall would remain down, but the news outlet continues to report on the storm, updating its site regularly, publishing articles, images and videos as well as resources for ways people can help. POLITICO said The Times has previously lowered the paywall to report on Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015.

The Washington Post brought down its paywall for 48 hours, but a note on its website confirmed that the paywall was reinstated mid-day Monday, August 28. According to POLITICO, The Post lowered its paywall on Election Day in November 2016 and for the January 2016 snowstorm that hit the D.C. metro area.

At 8:45 AM, Sunday, August 27, the Wall Street Journal tweeted that non-subscribers could read storm-related articles without hitting the paywall.

Subscription News: Major News Outlets Bring Down Paywalls to Share Hurricane Harvey News

Source: Twitter

As of 11:34 AM yesterday, the article linked to in the tweet and some storm-related articles were still accessible, but other storm-related articles remain behind the paywall, including ‘Flood Shuts Largest U.S. Refinery,’ ‘Harvey Puts More Hospitals Out of Commission,’ and ‘Harvey Forces Thousands to Seek Shelter.’ Those behind the paywall are marked with a key.

Subscription News: Major News Outlets Bring Down Paywalls to Share Hurricane Harvey News

Source: Wall Street Journal

At 2 PM Pacific on August 27, Matt Ballinger announced that the Los Angeles Times would lift its paywall for storm-related stories ‘to provide the broadest possible access to information.’ As of 8:44 AM Pacific yesterday, storm-related articles like this one were still accessible, along with images from Getty Images, infographics, maps and more.

The Houston Chronicle is, of course, closest to the storm. On Friday, the newspaper made the announcement that HoustonChronicle.com would be free during Hurricane Harvey. The newspaper also provided quick links to make searching for hot topics easy to find, including Latest on Hurricane Harvey, Emergency Contacts, Official Sources Used for Updates, Streets to Avoid, and If Your Car Floods. They also encouraged readers to sign up for weather updates by email through their breaking news alert system. As of 10:22 AM Central, the paywall was still down.

Subscription News: Major News Outlets Bring Down Paywalls to Share Hurricane Harvey News

Source: HoustonChronicle.com

Scott O’Neill, SVP North America at MPP Global, shared his thoughts with Subscription Insider yesterday:

‘In a time of tragedy like Hurricane Harvey and the impact it has had on Texas, publishers have stepped up and lifted their paywalls to keep people informed. Not only is it important for publishers to help communities with timely information and reporting, but also a smart business move and testament to the publishers’ technological flexibility,’ O’Neill said.

‘Publishers have been successful in using this free-trial tactic in the past to increase subscribers. Whether readers choose to subscribe after the paywall is reinstated depends on how compelling a publishers’ content is. However, by requiring registration to view their content, publishers are able to progressively profile a user based on their consumption habits and send targeted offers or product bundles to maximize conversions later down the subscription lifecycle,’ O’Neill added.
 

Insider Take:

As The Times points out, bringing down the paywall is not a common occurrence, nor should it be for news outlets who use a hard or metered paywall as part of their business model. It is, however, a smart business practice to provide readers, regardless of their location, with unlimited access to the latest coverage, including news, weather and resources during the storm. It looks like the Washington Post has taken the hardest line, only offering access for 48 hours, while The New York Times and The Houston Chronicle have been the most generous with their storm-related coverage.

We agree with The Times’ assessment that providing important coverage at critical times like these – and making that coverage accessible – should be part of a news outlet’s mission. Those who have brought down their paywall recognize that doing so not only serves the public good, but it is also good for business. Non-subscribers get exposure to content from media outlets they don’t normally read. At a minimum, the brands may earn some goodwill from those interactions, but they may even convert some of those readers into subscribers after the storm has passed.

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