For decades advertising shouldered much of that responsibility, which included classified ads in newspapers. But now we live in a different time where advertising dollars are spread much thinner across a range of platforms, and data is mandatory in proving ROI. Further, Craigslist, wikis, blogs and social media have usurped some of the things legacy media used to provide and have forced cracks in the publishing infrastructure.
Ultimately, what I’m trying to get at is this: readers need choices and if they get them, they will pay. I think paid content is an imperative moving forward if publishers want to maintain the one thing readers expect from them, which is quality.