In April 2014, after facing bankruptcy, debt restructuring and the loss of 230 employees in six years, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tried to monetize its online content by selling digital subscriptions. As SLM reported then, a new paywall blocked non-subscribers from some stories unless they answered automatically generated questions.
More than a year later, St. Louis newshounds know these paywall questions well. They range from inquiries about our favorite businesses or sunglasses preferences to the occasional geography quiz.
Here's one example of a survey (which is extremely difficult to answer for Texans, who tend to believe their home state is still its own country):
Built by Google, the paywall surveys are anonymous and collect consumer data that the company sells to businesses looking for low-cost market research, between ten cents and three dollars per question. Every time a Post-Dispatch reader completes the free survey, the newspaper earns five cents. The surveys have become a way for St. Louisans to read some premium online content without paying for a digital subscription.
But when one news consumer this morning clicked on an editorial about sexual assault on college campuses, here’s what greeted him:
Too far, Google. Too far.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
