Google Ends 'First Click Free' Policy for Limited Free News Content, Gives Publishers Choice

Google's decision to end its "First Click Free" policy, which allowed users to get access to three free articles per day via search and Google News without subscribing to news publishers, was praised by News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson. "If the change is properly introduced, the impact will be profoundly positive for journalists everywhere and for the cause of informed societies," Thomson said. He said it will help fight fake news. Google Vice President-News Richard Gingras blogged Monday that a model of "Flexible Sampling" will replace First Click Free, giving publishers the option to determine how much free content, if any, they provide. From its own research and experimenting with The New York Times and Financial Times, Gingras said providing monthly rather than daily free content is a better approach, such as 10 articles per month. He said the company also is collaborating with publishers and is trying to simplify the purchase process to give users an easier way to subscribe to publishers' news.