Build The Wall
1) Summaries each point in one sentence:
This section is about the importance of news and why journalists need to be paid for the work they do. It states that news has to come from somewhere, and that it is the job of the journalist to unlock the stories with evidence and give it to society. However, the online platform puts all these stories out for free, and although it is good that people are getting news much conveniently, it is the journalists that have to pay the price. The article states that, an online subscription fee would be the best method to ensure that money is being made, which will make the industry last longer. Furthermore, Simon stated that about 2 dozen journalists are being sacked from their jobs, simply because the news organisations have no money to pay them with. This is decreasing the quality of news as there wont be enough people going out and challenging ideologies or the government, like we seen with the Washington post.
Simon states the success and use of his theory of using an online subscription, like the Times and The Post do. He is claiming that this method is already being used and people are actually using this feature, as in applying for the subscription.A meeting had taken place, which included many dominant/well-known newspaper organisations, and the idea of the times using a subscription method in order to gain revenue seemed plausible. Due to the fact that news companies are gaining less and less revenue as the years go on, this method seems like a definite resort.
This section further explores the need for online subscription, as it can provide a higher revenue stream. As the internet arrived profit had been challenged. Even the monopolies of newspaper industry had found it difficult to compete with this new introduction into their industry. The Washington Post story was one of the most successful stories, and it is believed that such success and coverage will not happen again.
This section states that the move to go online and place a pay wall is gone. The time to gain revenue this was, has passed and the only news papers that took their initiative was the Times and The Post. There are two scenarios to help gain revenue and ensure the industries survival. First scenario states: an influx of new of cheap yet profitable online subscriptions. And the second scenario states: the collapse of regional news papers will create an opportunity for new, online subscription news.
2) Summary of David Simon's overall argument:
Overall, what Simon's is trying to state is, that the newspaper industry is far too important to be gone. Journalists play a key role to society as any one, and they should be entitled to their own right to be paid for the work they do for society. People online don't see the importance of editors or journalists, and Simon's shows how damaging the decline in journalism will have an impact on our daily lives.
3) Summary of essay:
The essay states that the internet has done both good and bad for us. It has allowed for people to voice their opinions and debate over a specific subject matter. News and data is spread so quickly that it can end up in another region of the world, and that person may not of like that particular piece of news to of leaked. The article also states that the government is going to start patrolling the internet, trying to gain information. To an extent, I do believe this is happening to this day. Due to the war impacts etc, the country is on high alert and the country is going to go to any extent to prevent such disaster from taking place, Whether that means going through people's private messages, or data. Although, that the article does share a split impact of the internet, do believe that it's main agenda is praising the internet as a good thing. This is because the internet provides the alternative side to traditional media. Instead of being spoon-fed information, the internet can allow people to challenge the journalists.
4) Critical Autonomy:
I do believe that if the news industry needs to survive (which it should), then a paywall is necessary. The reason why The Washington Post scandal was released was because the journalists were being paid to carry out their job. If there was no money being given to these journalists, then America would have been under the power of a corrupt man. It is thanks to journalists that corruption in countries are lowering, because these people are taking time to uncover the mysteries that society are blinded by. To this day, journalists are declining by the years due to the work they o being set out for free by online platform. If there are not any journalists, then there is no power to challenge politicians and government leaders which subsequently, can tarnish society. Therefore, I believe that journalists need to be paid for the hard work they do, as they are saving people's lives by un-veiling the corruptions in parts of the countries.
