Completely off topic, but ProPublica needs a finance journalist who focuses on the level that most of us interface with finance. Should my top-tier financial institution be mailing out account statements on see-through paper, or is the fraud downstream of them?
Interesting. However ... one thing that is often left out of these stories is the impact of strict paywalls. It's true that search engines prioritizing AI summaries rather than links has a severe impact on traffic, but in the age of the paywall, the links are less useful anyway. A search that leads to a Washington Post story is of no practical use if you aren't a subscriber--so perhaps the less severe impact on the Times and the Journal is a reflection of their higher subscription base?
I do understand why outlets need to erect paywalls, but let's not put all the blame AI on (for which I have no love) when paywalls are inevitably suppressing search traffic. (And, yes, gift links are great if readers are on a site/newsletter and a story motivates them to click through and read the original piece, but as far as I know, gift links aren't something one finds in a broad search.)
Thanks for reading, and for this comment. Publishers employing paywalls, especially hard ones, can’t complain about a lack of referrals from search, but have also presumably made their calculations accordingly. Those employing gift links (which I think is wise) would benefit from many searches, which seems appropriate.
Completely off topic, but ProPublica needs a finance journalist who focuses on the level that most of us interface with finance. Should my top-tier financial institution be mailing out account statements on see-through paper, or is the fraud downstream of them?
100% it's always about adding value above the technology (see ChatNewsAI.com and thebigmiddle.substack.com)
Interesting. However ... one thing that is often left out of these stories is the impact of strict paywalls. It's true that search engines prioritizing AI summaries rather than links has a severe impact on traffic, but in the age of the paywall, the links are less useful anyway. A search that leads to a Washington Post story is of no practical use if you aren't a subscriber--so perhaps the less severe impact on the Times and the Journal is a reflection of their higher subscription base?
I do understand why outlets need to erect paywalls, but let's not put all the blame AI on (for which I have no love) when paywalls are inevitably suppressing search traffic. (And, yes, gift links are great if readers are on a site/newsletter and a story motivates them to click through and read the original piece, but as far as I know, gift links aren't something one finds in a broad search.)
Thanks for reading, and for this comment. Publishers employing paywalls, especially hard ones, can’t complain about a lack of referrals from search, but have also presumably made their calculations accordingly. Those employing gift links (which I think is wise) would benefit from many searches, which seems appropriate.