Current Events > The BBC is now paywalling US readers.

(+) Yeah! (+)

All articles without exception for me, including straight news and breaking news stories. I'm used to small local outlets and opinion pieces doing this, but it's bizarre that the BBC is doing the same. Guess it's time to look for a new straight news source that doesn't have autoplaying videos.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5becf3de.jpg

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

it's bizarre that the BBC is doing the same

No it's not.

As we saw just a few years ago with Russia one idiot in charge does something stupid and everyone pulls this shit against the whole population.

No more free BBC ._.

Were_Wyrm posted...

No more free BBC ._.

They don't nearly have the monopoly they think they do >_>

ReturnOfDevsman posted...

No it's not.

On the one hand I get your point about enshittification, but the big legacy media outlets that deliver straight news like CNN, ABC, CBS, etc. have not historically charged money for basic breaking news stories. New York Times and the like, yes, that's long been a subscription model, but not the BBC and its ilk.

CNN is doing it too. Apparently I've reached a monthly limit on articles to view. I just noticed it yesterday.

Screw em

Cant you just bypass by VPN? Thats how I use Iplayer.

How small of them.

Glob posted...

Cant you just bypass by VPN? Thats how I use Iplayer.

Yeah, and I can use a paywall bypass browser extension. I haven't decided if I want to do that long-term and deal with extra clicking just to read a breaking news article or not.

jefffan posted...

CNN is doing it too. Apparently I've reached a monthly limit on articles to view. I just noticed it yesterday.

Screw em

Didn't know that, wild. Guess this is the new standard.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/aee4e756.jpg

Archive.is

A weird quirk is that I don't get the paywall on mobile. Only desktop.

jefffan posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/aee4e756.jpg

That sucks. Amazing to think someone would pay for a CNN subscription.

News articles have tariffs.

Can anyone confirm if this is just the US or everywhere outside the UK?

CBC also does some decent reporting, you can try there as an alternative.

Letsago posted...

Can anyone confirm if this is just the US or everywhere outside the UK?

Just the US.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2vgkn7w10o

There will be no changes for the BBC's UK audiences

While I'm already paying 174.50 a year? There'd better be no fucking changes.

Must just be a US thing, because it seems like it's still free here in Spain.

Lillymon posted...

While I'm already paying 174.50 a year? There'd better be no fucking changes.

In fairness, thats on you for paying it.

Lillymon posted...

While I'm already paying 174.50 a year? There'd better be no fucking changes.

I keep seeing that the BBC is not taxpayer funded followed by a vague description about how the charter works, but isn't that deceptive? Whatever the delivery vehicle of funding is called, UK residents pay for part of the BBC.

I just switched to AP news. BBC can fuck off like every other paywall news site.

False.

I opened the same article just fine.

You likely aren't browsing with Firefox, uBlock Origin, nor did you try Reader View. Pretty much any of these defeats the weak "paywall"

Gotta think a bit more before you just give up.

doshindude posted...

You likely aren't browsing with Firefox, uBlock Origin, nor did you try Reader View. Pretty much any of these defeats the weak "paywall"

Or in this case, look into Bypass Paywalls Clean.

That's sad. Restricing free access in the name of profit and tit for tat for us news outlets doing the same is just going to reduce the decent places Americans will go for news, making the population more likely to end up on fox news or some other sludge pit.

When poor media literacy is rising, this is another nail in the coffin of average americans being able to tell their ass from a hole in the ground.

And everyone suffers when a big country goes full stupid.

Well said. I'll probably switch to AP per someone's suggestion in here, but I really like some of the BBC's reporters like their Russian correspondent Steve Rosenburg. He's a Brit who has lived in Russia since the 90s and has the balls to ask Putin and Lukashenko hard-hitting questions directly to their faces, to the point that Lukashenko called on him during a Q&A and started with "Steve, what wretched question do you have for me this time?" Seeing a report of his behind a paywall for the first time today sucked.

Makes sense.
UK pays a BBC TV licence, while the US has pulled their own funding from the BBC.
Though like has been said earlier, you can bypass it if you know what you're doing.

Hasn't affected me yet

doshindude posted...

You likely aren't browsing with Firefox, uBlock Origin, nor did you try Reader View. Pretty much any of these defeats the weak "paywall"

and this is probably why

doshindude posted...

False.

I opened the same article just fine.

You likely aren't browsing with Firefox, uBlock Origin, nor did you try Reader View. Pretty much any of these defeats the weak "paywall"

Gotta think a bit more before you just give up.

Not false. The BBC literally announced it, I posted a screenshot of it, and you not experiencing it does not mean it doesn't exist. I also mentioned how I can easily get around it but that I'm surprised it's happening and I'm not sure I feel like doing extra clicks during my daily browsing to read news that's available elsewhere.

This topic was more about bringing up the BBC's decision to do this as a newsworthy event, not get advice on bypassing paywalls.

What do Brits living in the US do?

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

I keep seeing that the BBC is not taxpayer funded followed by a vague description about how the charter works, but isn't that deceptive? Whatever the delivery vehicle of funding is called, UK residents pay for part of the BBC.

It's nuanced, but the important part is that it's funded by the people rather than the state. It means the BBC should answer to the people rather than parliament, although whether reality reflects that is a different discussion entirely.

Were_Wyrm posted...

No more free BBC ._.

It's a shame since once you go there, you can't go back.

...

Libraries will pay. BBC just needs the money.

CobraGT posted...

What do Brits living in the US do?

I want to know this as well.

CobraGT posted...

Libraries will pay. BBC just needs the money.

I think you're grossly overestimating how dedicated Americans are to BBC.

BBC must be strapped for cash..

It's actively in the GOP's crosshairs but NPR still exist for now as a solid free news source.

Compsognathus posted...

It's actively in the GOP's crosshairs but NPR still exist for now as a solid free news source.

The GOP has been trying to off NPR for literal decades so we'll see what happens now that they have their fever dream of control of every branch of the federal government.

I'm not getting them but when in a paywall crisis, always put this in front of your URL:

archive.is/

^ Thanks, but bypassing paywalls is easy enough for individual articles; having to do it for multiple news stories every day is what's gonna make me drop the BBC as my main news source.

When I made this topic it only seemed to affect my Chrome browser at work, but as of today it started happening to my Firefox browser at home. Seems like it's a gradual rollout.

Arcanine2009 posted...

BBC must be strapped for cash..

It very much is strapped for cash, and desperate for any money it can lay its hands on.

That said, I think that putting news behind a paywall is the wrong thing to do. The BBC has a tradition of broadcasting news worldwide, and it's a shame to see that end. (Even if the World Service is still available).

ai123 posted...

That said, I think that putting news behind a paywall is the wrong thing to do. The BBC has a tradition of broadcasting news worldwide, and it's a shame to see that end. (Even if the World Service is still available).

Exactly. They should make their opinion pieces and deep dives a premium service, if they must, but breaking news stories that take 30 seconds to read? Baffling.