Publishers Face Difficult Tradeoff in Making Coronavirus Coverage Free

Reader worry – and work from home policies – are driving a surge in news consumption about the coronavirus, with pageviews up 30% year over year, according to Parsely data. But publishers face a tough choice when it comes to using this reader interest. Even though readers are intensely worried in coronavirus coverage, it is difficult to monetize with advertising, with advertisers throwing keywords associated with the virus onto block lists. What’s more, as the scope of the virus’s impact widens, publishers also face pressure to move their stories about the virus in front of their paywalls, stunting a key area of revenue growth.  

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