No other medium fought against the Berlin Wall as much as the "Bild" newspaper. But that is long past. That is why it seems a little grotesque that "Bild" of all newspapers is pushing for a new wall: the paywall on the Internet. It cannot be, announced "Bild" editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann, that all content is made available for free. And so users of Bild.de, Germany's largest news portal, have to pay their dues. Admittedly, the historical comparison is flawed, but that does not make it wrong.
The free Internet is the final victory of socialism. Publishers produce complex content for a lot of money and distribute it to the public for free. What's more, they are creating a publishing south africa rcs data monster that mercilessly competes with their previously profitable print products. It is impossible to get more self-cannibalism than that. It is a fact that the high expectations placed on online advertising have not been fulfilled at all. For the time being, publishers are making their money from the long-scorned print media.
And so the news network of Tamedia and Ringier are planning to introduce payment barriers for their news portals soon. NZZ.ch has already chosen this path this week. One small problem remains: can the paid Internet be implemented at all as long as other portals - such as "20 Minuten" or the SRG - continue to provide their content for free? Hasn't the motto "being cheap is cool" already prevailed on the Internet? "Bild" boss Kai Diekmann takes these questions seriously. He has now moved to America for a year. To discover the secrets of the Internet.