Regarding the Oct. 5 article "Murdoch: Japan newspapers will have to charge for online content": Anything that limits the money Rupert Murdoch can make seems unfair to him. He's trying to encourage all news agencies to charge for news so that it's easier for him to make a profit. In the United Kingdom he's trying to get a ban on free BBC-quality news.
I read widely but would never pay (to read news online) even if it meant I didn't get to hear about the destruction of Earth itself! I learn about Japan, the U.K., Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, China, technology, social issues and earthquakes from RSS feeds, which bring me very close to the news source. I also learn the local point of view.
It's in every country's interests to distribute its point of view. That's why Japan, Russia, China and France all have publicly funded English-language TV news channels. When a lot of people don't know what the "domestic" news is, that country is very vulnerable to social unrest because of rumors and gossip.
The only way Murdoch will make money from those people willing to pay for news is to make sure most people don't have access to it. Free access to quality news in today's world is worth protecting.
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