Starbucks announced on October 1 that, in lieu of selling print newspapers in their stores, they will instead offer free digital access to several news sources for a limited time. The News Media Alliance worked with the company to help facilitate partnerships with the participating media outlets. Starting this month, Starbucks customers using in-store wireless internet service will have free access to the websites of the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun, USA Today, The Seattle Times and the Orlando Sentinel. All of the websites typically have metered paywalls that block access after users read a certain number of articles and prompt readers to subscribe. However, readers accessing the sites through Starbucks’ in-store Wi-Fi will not hit the paywall and will have unfettered access to the participating news publications. Starbucks may later do another rollout with more news publishers.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
