The article, Build The Wall, is available here on the Columbia Journalism Review website.

Your tasks are as follows:

1) Read the article in full.

2) Create a blogpost on your MEST3 Exam Blog called 'Build The Wall analysis'. 

3) Summarise each section in one sentence:

• Section 1 (To all of the bystanders reading this…)
  Explains that the news content on-line should be bought not to be free.
• Section 2 (Truth is, a halting movement toward...)
  Questions if we are losing on good journalism and by how entertainment has made money in the past, however does not make enough money from advertisement.
• Section 3 (Beyond Mr. Sulzberger and Ms. Weymouth…)
  Talks about the wall street and how everyone was distracted by that in 1921, HBO is also explained in it as starting but improving.
• Section 4 (For the industry, it is later than it should be…)
  Gives four scenarios on how Times and post will survive because of its unique and advertisement they have.

4) Summarise David Simon’s overall argument in 250 words.
David Simon's overall argument is explained to be about  online news being free and that there is no money for the industry. He explains why we need the pay wall for news sites as there are good unique news out there but for free where the sites can only make money from the advertisement. He believes that people should pay for this content as to making money for industries. He explains that Times and the post will survive because of the pay wall and the million of suibscirbers they have. He believes thy would be able to survive digitally if the content was put on a pay wall. He uses examples of when in  1995 the internet was just a whisper to him and now it has grown to this global use that everyone needs. His thoughts are to increase the pay rates for the content if paper to make people actually buy this . He believes that it shouldnt be free in the future because of industries and news dying and he believes that you need the news to keep us updated. In the article he exaplins about HBO and how it started bad with its content but it got better and that with the Times and Post that this could happen it gets better. Believes that journalism is dying as to questioning himself as to is there any quality in the written news today? He believes that the revenue is going bad for the news industries and that the paywall will give it a stream that will keep it balance of not making a loss.

5) Read this response to the article by Dave Levy, criticising and disagreeing with David Simon's viewpoint. What references to new and digital media can you find in Levy's response?

6) Finally, what is your own opinion? Do you agree that newspapers need to put online content behind a paywall in order for the journalism industry to survive? Would you be willing to pay for news online? Critical autonomy is the key skill in A2 Media - you need to be able form opinions on these issues.

In my opinion i believe that the response by Dave Levy is correct as to the article being quite dramatic as to relating free news content and relates it to 1921 air ships. This argument is valid as to agreeing with what Dave Levy is saying as for example about how Simon wants unique journalism and thinks its dangered because of that and believes that it should be paid for and not be read if its not a experienced journalist who knows the news. In my opinion i believe that shouldnt be a paywall for news as if it was starting i would say yes but because society has been used to getting their news in a free way it shouldnt be changed. The view Dave Levy trying to say is that News can be created and shared because the use of technology and either way information will get passed. I agree with this because no matter what people will talk about the news and spread it on whats happening. I believe that if had to and when older i would have to pay for the news as i need it to update me in life but there will be websites that will just tell me. In my opinion i beleive journalism wont die because we are all Journalists in a way and we will always tell the news around us and far away from us. Lastly i believe that even if the pay wall comes in they will be people who want a unique and bold story as they believed that if that what people want it shows there is a type of audience who will pay.