News outlets have built a border wall, too. Here are four ways to tear it down.

Time is running out for news publishers to dismantle the ‘border wall’ that limits access to credible information. With generative AI capable of mimicking a president’s voice and bad actors creating fake news sites by the thousands, news organizations need to adapt.”

Jessie Shi, a former social media editor at MarketWatch

After encountering six hard paywalls or registration walls on eight news sites, I wasn’t surprised by Donald Trump’s victory and presidency. Why must accessing credible, fact-based news be such a barrier? Locking almost every story behind a paywall or a registration wall at some critical moments contradicts news organizations’ civic mission to inform the public.

By placing public-interest stories behind paywalls, news organizations have built a kind of “border wall.” This restricts access to reliable information, pushing those without access toward “pink slime” news sites filled with disinformation. However, dismantling this border wall doesn’t mean sacrificing subscription revenue. The following four strategies can help news organizations inform the public and grow subscriptions.

1. Leave the website paywall-free for a few days before important news events and ask for voluntary support.

News organizations can tell readers they’re lifting paywalls in the public interest. The Financial Times, for example, dropped its paywall during COP26, leading to a 200% increase in free registrations. Since about 3% of registered users convert to paid subscriptions within a year, this approach can offset potential revenue losses from temporarily lifting paywalls. Additionally, appealing to readers for voluntary support, similar to The Guardian’s model, has proven successful. The Guardian grew its paying supporters, members and subscribers from 15,000 to over 570,000 in about two years without putting its stories behind a paywall.

2. Keep critical public information free while putting other content behind a paywall.

Free access to key stories can drive subscriptions when the public’s need for information is highest. At the San Antonio Express-News, almost all stories were behind a hard paywall as the paper sought to increase subscriptions. This approach led to reader complaints about restricted access to essential COVID-19 updates in early 2020. After I raised the issue, the Express-News made their COVID-19 timeline story free, which included daily updates on case counts, hospitalizations, stay-home orders and testing locations.

3. Communicate editorial decisions clearly when lifting paywalls for public service.

The Express-News did this with a note at the top of the free COVID-19 timeline story, explaining:

“The Express-News has lifted the paywall on this article to provide critical information to our community. To support vital coverage of this and other topics, invest in a digital subscription.”

I reinforced this message with a Twitter thread to explain the paper’s balance between public service and business needs. This approach paid off: the COVID-19 timeline became the top subscription driver on the site in 2020, with more than 600 subscriptions attributed to it by year’s end.

4. Experiment with a smart, dynamic paywall model.

This model adjusts paywall or registration requirements based on reader metrics, such as referral source and device type. The Wall Street Journal increased its digital-only subscriptions by 60% between late 2019 and early 2024 by selectively showing paywalls to readers most likely to subscribe. Similarly, Business Insider’s new model paywalls content based on users’ reading patterns. During a five-month trial, 60% of new subscriptions came from stories that wouldn't have been behind a paywall under the previous model. Tools like Piano and Poool can help news organizations implement dynamic paywalls effectively.

The Bottom Line: Time is running out for news publishers to dismantle the “border wall” that limits access to credible information. With generative AI capable of mimicking a president’s voice and bad actors creating fake news sites by the thousands, news organizations need to adapt. Reshaping paywall models will allow them to fulfill their civic duty to inform the public and their business motive to earn more subscription revenue — before they lose readers to unreliable sources due to the wall.

Jessie Shi is a former social media editor at MarketWatch, a Dow Jones news property  that provides financial information, business news, analysis and stock market  data. She previously was the only social media editor for the paywalled website of the San Antonio Express-News, the fourth-largest newspaper in Texas.