Joel Brinkley, a former New York Times correspondent now teaching journalism at Stanford, proposes a measure to help the newspaper industry: Get an anti-trust exemption so they can collaboratively charge for their content online.
It wouldn't be mandatory, but it would permit publishers to discuss pricing practices without facing prosecution.
Before this idea takes flight, a number of commentators will quickly toss a wet blanket over it. The main one I see is that technology these days pretty well penetrates any firewall and the viral nature of social media shares content so widely that it's difficult for any news organization to keep control of anything.
It's true what Brinkley says: Online ad rates nowhere near approach print ad rates, and that poses an enormous revenue dilemma in the time ahead. But one supposes these rates will find their level as presentation improves, technology spreads and the effectiveness of online advertising matures and convinces companies it's a good environment for their spending.