ABSTRACT

News paywalls became a popular part of internet news distribution in the 2010s. The first news site to put up a paywall on their content was The Wall Street Journal in the 1990s. This case study will examine The Wall Street Journal’s decision to implement the paywall and the aftermath of that decision. The case study will analyze the ethics of the paywall used by The Wall Street Journal through the use of the Potter Box. The Potter Box provides a method for reaching an ethical decision based on four factors; facts, values, philosophical principles, and loyalties. The Utilitarian Principle by John Stuart Mill will be used within the Potter Box as the philosophical principle. In its simplest form, Utilitarianism asserts the greatest good for the greatest possible number of individuals and looks at how an act contributes to a possible end. Finally, the case study will determine the ethical nature of news paywalls by answering three questions.

1. Micro: Does The Wall Street Journal’s paywall help promote quality content?

2. Mid Range: What are the issues presented by paywalls? Has The Wall Street Journal run into similar situations?

3. Macro: How was The Wall Street Journal successful in creating one of the first online paywalls nearly two decades before they became common practice?