New Journalism Clubs Are "Members Only"

By Rory O'Connor, RoryOConnor.org. Posted August 27, 2009.

 Desperate to stay alive, beleaguered newspaper executives first tried to “monetize” their “content.”

Now they’re desperately trying to “monetize” their “journalists.” And although theWashington Post recently stumbled badly in offering its pay-to-play sponsored ‘salons” to access seekers, the fact that the paper’s own ombudsman called the offer “an ethical lapse of monumental proportions” hasn’t deterred other journalistic powerhouses in their pell-mell rush to revenue. The latest cases in point: the New York Times and theGuardian…

As the indispensable Nieman Lab reported recently, “School’s in session at The New York Times this fall, and the professors include some big bylines on campus: Nicholas Kristof, Gail Collins, and Eric Asimov.” And if, like me, you are an indefatigable student of journalism, here is what’s on offer from the newspaper-of-record’s Knowledge Networkadult-education program, operated in partnership with local universities: one hundred weeklong, largely online courses for Times readers willing to pay between $125 and $185 in exchange for getting schooled by the likes of Times Op-Ed stars like Kristof and Collins.

The courses taught by Kristof and Collins also include a “live, interactive Webcast,” three written lessons, and a message board where students can interact with their instructors – although, caveat emptor, only a few of the hundred courses actually include the participation of Times writers…

This year marks the first time that Times columnists have participated in the three-year-old project – which as Nieman Lab noted, “could be a precursor to the membership model the Times is considering in its search for new revenue streams on the web.”

See more stories tagged with: new york times, washington post, collins, online courses, kristof, asimov

Filmmaker and journalist Rory O'Connor is the author of "Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio" (AlterNet Books, 2008). O'Connor also writes the Media Is A Plural blog.

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from Media and Technology! Sign up now »