FTC Panel On Future Of Journalism: Murdoch Advocates Paid Content

Media companies need to deliver compelling information on a variety of electronic devices and overcome readers' resistance to paying for material online, news executives said Tuesday at a government-sponsored journalism conference. Rupert Murdoch, News Corp.'s chairman and chief executive, sees a promising future for publishers that can adapt to the Internet age. Key to survival, he said, is giving consumers what they want, how they want it - be it on a computer, mobile device or e-reader - and then charging for it, as his company does with The Wall Street Journal. "We need to do a better job of persuading consumers that high-quality, reliable news and information does not come free," Murdoch said. "Good journalism is an expensive commodity." Murdoch's comments were echoed during the Federal Trade Commission's workshop, which explored the challenges facing media companies and ways the government can help them survive. Murdoch said that if the government wants to insure the survival of newspapers and other journalistic organizations, the best thing it can do is simply get out of the way. He called for the end of "arbitrary and contradictory regulations that actually prevent people from investing in these businesses" and he blasted the idea of government subsidies for journalists.