Google Jumping Telegraph + Herald Sun Paywall To Deliver Content For Free
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Readers who from today have to pay to access to content on News Ltd.’s Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun web site are now using Google search to circumvent the subscription block twitter feeds reveal.

Several Twitter feeds reveal that readers are being urged to ‘click on the blocked Daily Telegraph or Sun Herald story, highlight the headline and then place it into a Google search’.

This allows readers to access the content without having to pay readers claim.

Currently News Ltd is offering a tiered subscription model ranging from $4 a week to $10 a week.

Last week News Ltd moved to capture data by requesting visitors to their log into access Daily Telegraph content for free. This week after capturing thousands of reader’s personal details, the Daily Telegraph is asking visitors who gave up their email address and name to pay for access to content.

The new digital subscriber strategy which is called News will be extended to AdelaideNow and The Courier Mail in June.

News Limited CEO Kim Williams said “Our new digital subscription service for the Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph marks an important landmark for News Limited as we continue paving the way for commercially sustainable models for quality journalism and digital innovation in Australia,”.

The Company said that they will offer integrated content from Fox Sports as well as enhanced online local coverage.

“For the first time, we will see an integration of high-quality Fox Sports broadcast reporting, analysis and commentary across News’ online network giving our masthead subscribers access to fine content as part of the news+ product,” he said.

“We will continually enhance the value of our digital subscription product and over time we will also integrate our online lifestyle and business content offerings within the mastheads” he added.

A test by SmartHouse reveals that most of the locked stories can be accessed by doing a Google search of the headline inside the story.

In an effort to try and circumvent the Google search engine News Ltd is placing a headline on the master story and a second headline inside the clicked story.

Readers responded online by writing the following comments:

Integration with Fox Sports hey.. so why would I pay to view their articles via the daily telegraph site when I can just jump over to fox sports and get it for free?

I have been searching for the “quality journalism” in the Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph for many years now. When I find it then I will subscribe to online editions. In the meantime a free hard copy courtesy of the local cafe which can be read in the time it takes to have a coffee will do me.

Why do they think people will pay for stale news? Both News Ltd and Fairfax re-cycle stuff from around the web, often 2/3 days later and seem to think we won’t notice.

If they were engaging in legitimate investigations they may have support but expecting subscribers to stump up for cold potatoes is arrogance.