The Maneater
The Columbia Missourian’s paywall “makes no sense,” Jill Deutsch writes in University of Missouri student paper The Maneater, dubbing the gate the university’s “Biggest buzzkill” in its Year in Review package.
It makes no sense for journalism students, many of whom are, uh, required to take reporting classes with the Missourian. That means that besides shelling out for those credit hours and providing free labor for a professional newspaper, these students have to pay extra money in order for them (and potential employers) to access their own work.
Professional editors oversee a student staff at the Missourian, which covers the city of Columbia. It launched a paywall in 2012 that charges for articles more than 24 hours old. The paywall, which costs $6 per month, brings in about $40,000 per year, The Maneater reported in January.
Last December the Missouri Students Association requested the Missourian find some way to make the paper free for students, and Missourian GM Dan Potter committed to doing so.
“Yet, it is the end of the year, and the wall is still standing,” Deutsch writes.
