Stephen Foley: The trendy way to gain online readers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Outlook The Daily Mail's website is a sight to behold, a smorgasbord of celebrity tittle-tattle and fancy-that internet ephemera. There is even some news on it, and bits and bobs that might be recognisable to readers of the UK newspaper – but not much, because the Mail's online business is really just a giant dragnet designed to snare the shoals of casual browsers following the internet's latest trending topics.
ComScore has just certified this the second-most visited newspaper website in the world, after The New York Times, with nigh on 40 million readers last month. One is reminded of the edict to AOL's journalists earlier this year, when it was chasing traffic from search engines and Twitter. AOL's hapless editors were told to look for a subject that was "trending" on social networks, then look for another one, then dash off a story combining the two. It is why stories about Kim Kardashian and Muslim Playboy models will always trump the AV referendum in the hierarchy of Mail Online news stories.
Premium news sites are hoping to start charging premium rates to advertisers. But for those at the tabloid end of the market, rock-bottom prices for advertising on the web mean that Mail-size visitor numbers are needed to bring in meaningful revenues. On ComScore's new evidence, there is a real business here, but let's call it what it is: sweatshop journalism.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments