If you’re like me you have a morning information ritual. Mine is putting on MSNBC and looking through my favorite websites. Here are the sites I check out as I supercharge my brain with black coffee and wait for inspiration to jog my neurons for a story to post on Daily Kos.
I’ve posted a few… this is my 827th story in part because I am clinically hypergraphic and writing is therapy for me. I hope to celebrate a Democratic victory with story number 1,000.
In the past five or so years political websites have evolved to the point where they have paid writers and in some instances investigative reporters. Sites like BUZZFEED and AXIOS periodically break news stories before major newspapers.
Over the past year more and more websites are either charging up to $99 a year to go ad free or in the case of The Daily Beast and Slate to read select articles or view features. I have no objection to paying to read sites without ads. I’ll read the ads but if you can afford to payor want just to support a website like Daily Kos that’s up to you. UPDATE: Below, here’s how to subscribe to DK to avoid seeing ads and support the good work they do.
What I object to is paying to read content.
Designing a model which generates revenue enough to maintain a paid staff with advertising alone is a challenge. I’m not an expert. I don’t know if it is possible.
I have subscriptions to The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Many of us find that the $100 a year fees add up to be a financial hardship when you include streaming television services. I have Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Add these fees to the cable TV and cellphone services most of us have we can be looking at an annual outlay of well over $1,000.
Daily Kos is unique in many ways among political websites, at least progressive websites since those are the only ones I read.
Kos generates revenues in several ways, none of which demand money from readers:
Daily Kos from time to time will work with sponsors to bring you content that we hope you will find relevant and engaging. See this article by Will Rockafellow, President of Kos Media, for details about this new process.
This article contains an important update offered in a comment written by Susan Gardner, Daily Kos Executive Editor. She explains:
- The diary itself by Warren is not paid for. When you think about it, it is impossible given our set-up to CHARGE for a diary, since anyone can sign up and write for free.
- The “ads” on the rec and recent list are not taking up any spots that were otherwise there for community diaries. They are an addition to the rec list. And the ads are simply links to Warren’s original diary.
- No diary is promoted to the rec list in this arrangement. If ANY diary makes the rec list, it’s because the community put it there.
- Subscribers do not see the “ads” that link to Warren’s diary.
- We will always mark any linking ads (like we did with this ad campaign) as “ads.” Users will never need to wonder if what they are reading is paid for. We will make it clear. Reference Link
Of course Daily Kos is the only progressive website where any reader can post an article/story/diary (what these are called depends on how long one has been a Kossack). How many people read a posted story depends on how many people click the star and thus recommend it or share it before if slides off the page in the Recent Stories column. A few stories are put on the Community Spotlight list by staff.
Over the past few months more stories written by Daily Kos staff have been re-published on the aggregate websites AlterNet and RawStory (owned by the same company, both now have their own original articles and are charging for ad free content).
By keeping Daily Kos free they are really living up to their progressive values. I don't know and don't feel a need to know how much Kos staff like Jen Hayden, Gabe Ortiz, Laura Clawson, and David Waldman, to name those on today’s main page, earn or whether they are on salary or are paid per story. My hunch is that they aren’t bringing in the big bucks like the opinion writers working for the Times and Post.
So thanks to them and to Markos and to everyone who keeps Daily Kos truly a venue for and by the people.
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Recommended reading — I bet not many of you have read the Wikipedia entry for Daily Kos or for Markos Moulitsas Zúniga which features a photo of him as an Army private first soldier (link).