Drop the paywall on news! It's a huge problem people can read Fox News and Newsmax for free but to get the stories produced by journalists, they have to beg for a gift link or check out if someone saved it on the Internet Archive. - ThreadSky

johncusack.bsky.social • 1 day ago

Drop the paywall on news! It's a huge problem people can read Fox News and Newsmax for free but to get the stories produced by journalists, they have to beg for a gift link or check out if someone saved it on the Internet Archive.

Reposted from John Cusack

freedom.press/issues/journ...

So proud of @freedom.press
Seth stern for pushing out this crucial point -
Was happy to be involved in the discussions about it !

Comments

rooksnest.bsky.social•17 hours ago

It is truly ridiculous. I try to share meaningful articles from my subscription

gryffinrider.bsky.social•21 hours ago

It’s not a great solution, but you can read a lot of news magazines for free with a library card and Libby or Hoopla app.

blacksoldier.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Try PBS then.

tlrhg.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Upvote x10 million. I’ve been saying this for years. A new model of funding needs to be created, so that people have free access to quality news. Otherwise the only news the majority of people will read is what is easy and free. That makes bias and propaganda easy to pass along.

ericcolumbus.bsky.social•1 day ago

We have to pay to watch your movies. People typically don’t work for free.

jeffreyskarski.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Yeah, but you're not a shittier voter just because you didn't see Pursuit

morning-hazard.bsky.social•1 day ago

It's been a long time since anyone paid to watch his movies

bf3-15.bsky.social•23 hours ago

All workers, be they writers, musicians or cab drivers, should be paid for their work. BUT (there's always a "BUT") when links to a story on social media are behind a paywall, my first thought is "fishing for subscribers". Which is why I have no problem recommending https://archive.ph

ishabluebell.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Thank you! I sometimes use Wayback Machine but this seems easier & quicker

sraars.comrades.social•1 day ago

I agree. In the meantime, https://Archive.today is something everyone should bookmark to bypass those.

ishabluebell.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Thank you!

newsmom.bsky.social•1 day ago

Journalists need to get paid for their work. There are plenty of fact based news sources (support The Associated Press) that are free.

ventanaabierta.bsky.social•1 day ago

Drop the cable\online entertainment subscriptions and trade them for news.

hpurichia.bsky.social•1 day ago

It's true but how can these independent journalists fund their efforts? I admit I have to choose those to which I can subscribe and am the one hoping for the gift article and wish I could read more but can't.

vibrotronica.bsky.social•20 hours ago

The @memphisflyer.com is always free

naughtfollowers.bsky.social•1 day ago

I just torrent your movies. Perhaps someone can start putting porpublica articles up there for seeding.

pjob7.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Thank you John!

bosanka.bsky.social•15 hours ago

Hey John, have you read this article from an independent newspaper in the UK?
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/02/21/donald-trump-was-recruited-by-the-kgb-under-codename-krasnov-claims-former-soviet-spy-chief/

clsreads.bsky.social•23 hours ago

I'm sure most of your followers know this, but many newspapers and journals are available to folks (often including NYT/Wapo, etc.) with their public library card. It's not everything, but it's something.

lteft.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thank you John! Many of us just hope the car starts each day.

laszlopanaflexx.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Who will feed the journalists? Will they live in refrigerator boxes?

ziggeroonski.bsky.social•1 day ago

This is a problem on most sites, they provide a link with a paywall. Stop wasting my time.

littlemsantiquing.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yes! This is vital.

zakwilliamswzw.bsky.social•1 day ago

Journalists need to be paid.

andytulin.net•1 day ago

You gonna bankroll them with the Con-Air money or is this just for clout?

jeffreyskarski.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Can they stop all being zionists and enlightened centrists, too??

mikepittsburgh.bsky.social•1 day ago

Well, real news needs to make money from somewhere other than Vladimir Putin and Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk.

But it is troubling. Maybe free articles with tons of ads if the topic is Politics.

hpurichia.bsky.social•1 day ago

I'd gladly wade through ads at this point

nooradean.bsky.social•23 hours ago

And in todays news- President Trump’s Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler called on Hamas to release the body of Shiri Bibas and all other hostages or “face total annihilation” after Israel said one of the bodies it received was not the mother. Arab Israelis agree!

neferast.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Lots of simping for Oligarchy Owned Media in the replies... Associated Press, Reuters is free... Why Pay Oligarchy Owned Media for a regurgitated reprint of Associated Press?

neferast.bsky.social•1 day ago

Don't worry about Journalists at Oligarch owned media. Most $$ goes to CEOs, Board Members.. & DOES NOT GO to Journalists- whom many are merely gig workers- contractors who don't have- can't afford health ins w/o the ACA or 2nd job. If you want to pay- go to their personal pages & sub/buy a coffee.

neferast.bsky.social•1 day ago

So don't share them. #ArchiveEVERYTHING. Only Share Archives. Oligarchy Owned Media intentionally Force WORKING CLASS to PAY FOR mostly regurgitated GARBAGE & ADs; while simultaneously PROVIDING FREE SUBS for their E-Level, C-Level, (& D-Level) Employees. 2 Separate Media for "2 Classes" of People.

proggrrl.bsky.social•1 day ago

I am hoping that all the big pub journos who are dropping gift links on here right and left daily, will make this point more widely accepted eventually (assuming they get good engagement on here)

azlarryan.bsky.social•18 hours ago

This is why we need libraries, the institutions pay the journalists and everyone can access it for free, funded as a public service. When it was all print media, nothing stopped people from looking at a newspaper without buying it. Libraries are the best way of doing this online.

carolwildbird.bsky.social•7 hours ago

I would be happy to pay a subscription for access to some sort of library access to a number of selected newspapers- maybe for a limited number of articles a week. I can't afford to subscribe to every newspaper individually and often want to read the odd article, but not the whole paper.

buckwilde1.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Huffpost it for fucks sake. No one in government is following laws. Copyright? They're not following Article One section nine of the Constitution. Call it freedom sharing. Screenshot share, for all I care. If it's relevant. Credit and share.

montanahuntress.bsky.social•23 hours ago

I agree. I’m poor and can’t afford to subscribe to everything

palmbeachcitizen.bsky.social•23 hours ago

John, NewsMax and FoxNews are not news networks. They are Republican propaganda networks and they are subsidized by billionaires who want trump to lower or eliminate their taxes.

darkoverlordofdata.com•18 hours ago

the real problem is news got turned into a profit center

sparkzebra.bsky.social•7 hours ago

HOW DO JOURNALISTS Maintenence people get PAID THEN JOHN
MORE FREE FREE
JESUS IS THE COST OF DEMOCRACY WORTH A FEW BUCKS
C'MON MAN
I WAS A PAPER BOY

catherineh.bsky.social•1 day ago

Newspapers need revenue. People can typically access news sources through their local library (in print & by using your library card). I know in NY all libraries have access to NOVEL through local libraries https://novelnewyork.org/

iustitia100.bsky.social•1 day ago

Journalists need to get paid.

lazarus-long.bsky.social•1 day ago

We need philanthropists on the left/center to start providing funds to the independent press to get the real truth out!

suedei.bsky.social•21 hours ago

Signed up. Thanks for posting.

lizhughes1.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Bluesky should only allow free articles

diana-kat-kushan.bsky.social•1 day ago

Two words. Glenn Greenwald Channel. Well three words.

bookstorememoir.bsky.social•1 day ago

https://archive.ph

dana.kristjans.net•22 hours ago

CNN and MSNBC are also free.

carolrifkabrunt.bsky.social•18 hours ago

@theguardian.com is free online and high quality and based outside the US but with excellent US coverage. I always advise people to go there

bleu-stocking.bsky.social•13 hours ago

REAL NEWS BY
REAL JOURNALISTS
SHOULD BE FREE!

opjohn.bsky.social•2 hours ago

You know the old adage. If it’s free, you are the product.

sc2054.bsky.social•10 hours ago

Yes!

sherryh87.bsky.social•1 day ago

You’ve got money, I assume? So help sponsor independent journalists 👍🏼

mrains.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Literally how we ended up with Trump in the first place... underinformed and just straight up lied-to masses.

toneg99.bsky.social•20 hours ago

How will journalists get paid?

catruncie.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Or make micropayments a thing. Charge by the article.

xaphoon148.bsky.social•1 day ago

You are assuming that MAGAs actually can read...? 🙃

paulbriley.bsky.social•17 hours ago

It's worse than this, John. These sites have stopped AI crawlers. So when people use AI for info especially current affairs then all they get is Fox & other gutter press news sites alone. Totally warped.

nomafs.bsky.social•23 hours ago

I constantly see titles that are important but can read only the first few lines. Thank goodness for folks like Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Reich, and Jeff Tiedrich, who let me read information for free.

reddawndemocracy.bsky.social•12 hours ago

This is CRITICAL to get the truth out there. It’s also critical to support INDEPENDENT journalist and their freedoms!

starbuckler.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Do you work for free? No?! Then why do you expect journalists to?

pnwfinn.bsky.social•23 hours ago

That's what advertising is for.

joberama.bsky.social•21 hours ago

Ad support raises a whole host of complications for media outlets, it's not an across-the-board fix. It's extraordinarily difficult for outlets to resist chipping away at what should be an impenetrable wall between what the sales department does and what the journalism department does.

zerocrossing.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Broadcast TV and Radio news has been free since I can remember. I still donate to NPR and PBS, and encourage others to do the same, but I don't really get why agreeing to watch a Cheerios commercial as payment to read a news article isn't a viable business model.

starbuckler.bsky.social•22 hours ago

So NPR AND PBS aren’t free you Donte to them to support what they do and they’re limited in what can they do as a result.

Broadcast TV is as supported.

Geesh

zerocrossing.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Yeah, I get that it’s not free for me, but that’s my choice. I donate to Wikipedia as well. That said, both of those things aren’t behind any pay wall, so if I’m subsidizing someone who’s poor to pay, it’s worth it because I enjoy living in an informed society.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply