Massachusetts paper sets up paywall for commenters

Posted by Erina Lin on July 14, 2010 at 2:07 PM

Setting up a paywall online is not a news, but The Sun Chronicle, a U.S.-based newspaper in Massachusetts, announced it will begin charge readers for commenting on its online stories, WBUR reported.

The paper will charge a one-time fee of 99 cents to post comments online. However, users need to pay by credit card, and the real name on the card will show up on comments, which is, no more anonymity, MediaGuardian reported.

Upon posting, the user must acknowledge that he/she will abide by U.S. state and federal law, and agree to be responsible for his/her comments.

"This is not about the revenue," according to publisher Oreste D'Arconte. He added that the new policy is to "eliminate past excesses that included blatant disregard for our appropriateness guidelines, blind accusations and unsubstantiated allegations," Editor and Publishers reported.

Those who violate the paper's guidelines will be banned from the site.

The Foxboro Reporter and the Silver City Bulletin in Taunton will also follow the new policy, E&P reported.