PAYING FOR THE NEWS -YIP BUT MAKE IT QUALITY BARRY

We are more than happy to pay for good stuff, good shoes, good make up , and good wine, lunches and dinners for good info. So we have no hesitation paying for NBR's online subscription. It makes good sense as long as NBR continues to deliver the very high quality articles that have dripped from the pens of the likes of Rob Hosking, Chris Keall, David Cohen Matthew Hooton and David Farrar in the past few months. If, after six months we dont get value for money - we will kick it for touch.

It has worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Review. You pay for the premium content. It will be driven by demand and we think there is a demand. The continued popularity of Transtasman already attests to the popularity of "insider" premium analysis, news and dare we point to the elephant in the room - gossip....

So Barry , yet again you have shown that you happily put your well earned money where your mouth is.

We will sign up. Its simply the smart thing to do. Newspapers may die, ( makes you wonder what we will wrap our fish in chips in and cover the bottom of the budgie cage with) but online news is where its at and where it will end up.

And for all the believers that news will be forever free- yip the crap stuff maybe but the reality is the overshiny stuff wont last. In the end the demand will be for the best, the fastest and the most accurate and incisive and undoubtedly the most interesting - News and info that gives individuals and companies a turbo boost down the information highway will be a must have. And we will gladly pay for it.

COHEN HAS FUN WITH O'ROURKE

The sometimes testy and always ascerbic scribe from NBR David Cohen had an audience with one of the great Gonzo journalists and commentators P J O'Rourke.

Lucky bastard..
We particularly like this bit.

In terms of his own social commentary, O’Rourke said the economic crisis was proving to be a fabulous time. “I’ve been having a ball with the Obama administration,” he said cheerfully, “although in fairness to Obama, any new administration is by its nature terribly awkward. But if one happens to be in ideological opposition to an administration, then one is going to have a field day.”

But Obama had already proved to be “a smarter man” than many of his predecessors, left or right, including the one who recently vacated 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Bush had some people around him who one wouldn’t care to have to dinner, but then again, so does Obama. But one thing I would add here in Obama’s favour is that it is the responsibility of the leader of a democratic nation to speak to the people by whom he was hired and to whom he is responsible. You have to explain yourself. Obama does seem perfectly willing to do that, but Bush was perfectly unwilling to do that.”

It is well worth a read.

We are off to Auckland later this week to hear him in person. Can't wait.

COHEN FUNNY FOR ONCE

NBR's David Cohen is one of the country's most acerbic and occasionally entertaining writers and he attempts to heap scorn on our mate and blogging collegue David P Farrar over his comments re blogs not getting credit for breaking stories. We think that Cohen is pissed about bloggers because secretly he wants to be one. He is way to precious about the MSM. There is revolution taking place. He needs to get with the programme.