The Good News Will Cost You

Bryan Caplan

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A standard rule of Internet content is that unless it's pornographic, you don't have to pay for it. But I just stumbled on a weird counter-example. If you want to read even the main stories on the Good News Network, you've got to pay upfront. From its mission statement:

What we offer
A Daily Dose of News to Enthuse -- The Good News Network is a clearinghouse for the gathering and dissemination of positive news stories from around the globe. Daily stories will confirm what we already believe -- that good news itself is not in short supply; the advertising of it is.
Citizens are invited to submit stories to the network. News professionals in the mainstream media may also contribute to GNN-i so that their optimistic news and commentary receives a wider audience and sustained appreciation.
Why Good News?
Good news can create positive changes -- emotionally, physically and materially -- in any person's life no matter their background.

Obviously I'll stand up for the right of the Good News Network to charge for its services. But its business model baffles me. Who do they think they are - and could they be right?

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CATEGORIES: Information Goods, Intellectual Property
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COMMENTS (4 to date)

Latest Comment

Zdeno writes:

Paying for porn on the internet? from what I, uh, hear you can't open your car door on the internet without hitting some free, high-quality skin.

Posted January 10, 2009 7:53 PM

Jacob Oost writes:

An internet business with a baffling business model? Get outta town.......

Posted January 10, 2009 10:57 PM

John Fast writes:

Bryan, are you aware there is already a hardcopy ("dead tree") newspaper version of that, called _Good Times_?

The point is, they provide a valuable service by collecting and collating upbeat news stories, which presumably people are willing to pay for.

I'm confused why you're confused. I assume you realize that most people aren't as happy with their lives as you are, nor as rational about how to solve their problems. So this alternative (reading about Happy Stuff) is a euphoric like drink or drugs, but healthier, or at least less harmful.

Posted January 11, 2009 12:11 AM

eric writes:

www.pornohub.com free porno like youtube, i tell all the guys at work to use that instead of other forms of prono so i dont have to play tech support for them when they get crazy viruses.

Posted January 11, 2009 6:54 AM

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