Some reasons newspapers have dropped their paywalls: Public emergencies, experimentation, and wider access

78 percent of newspapers with circulations over 50,000 have some sort of digital subscription model, but once those subscription models are in place, what will cause a newspaper to take a paywall down? A new study from the University of Southern California looks at 69 instances (41 permanent, 28 temporary) where newspapers dropped or eliminated their paywalls. Some of the reasons newspapers dropped their paywalls: Public emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy, wider access for reasons such as a public service they’re providing (i.e. a community calendar), attracting new readers, and experimenting with the best way to charge for news.