Hacker News Reader

> Something needs to be done to monetize journalism online that doesn't depend on ads.

Why? If every news organization in the country shutdown tomorrow very few people would care, and a lot of us might even be thankful for the reduction in noise.

You can argue that journalism has a role to play when it comes to keeping tabs on government and business and generally keeping us informed, however the industry hasn't been playing that role for least 10-20 years now, so what does it matter if they disappear?

Something needs to be done? Why?

I've got a feeling that even if there was a central portal, most people wouldn't want to pay.

Most people don't like news. They read it because they have nothing else to do.