Extra! Extra!

The issue of charging for online access to breaking news has been widely debated since the Internet began to overtake print media. And now, Oklahoma State University’s paper -- The Daily O’Collegian -- will soon be the first of its kind to begin charging readers who do not have an .edu email address, or who do not reside within a 25-mile radius of the university, for access to its online content.

Thanks to a partnership with Press Plus, an e-commerce venture that provides the digital infrastructure to drive revenue via online subscriptions, readers of The Daily O’Collegian who visit the site more than three times per month will be faced with a pay wall prompting a $10 fee for a one-year subscription. Of the publication’s readership of nearly 25,000 (including the students, faculty and staff), parents and alumni scattered nationwide will be most affected by the new subscription rates.

The publication’s general manager, Ray Catalino, claims that the extra moolah will provide for better quality content rather than increased profit margins. But in a world where most online content is a free-for-all, will readers be willing to fork over their credit card info to access articles? That is what remains to be seen.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/Lovattpics