The Information

Jessica Lessin (whose reporting I’ve linked to numerous times) left the Wall Street Journal earlier this year to start a new publication. It launched this week, with a staff of eight:

The Information, launching today, is our first step towards building a publication that operates differently. We’re a team of reporters and editors who have learned from the best in the business, and we want to challenge ourselves to write better articles that break new ground. Period.

To do that, we are focusing on writing for readers we think are underserved: professionals in technology and in industries being upended by it. These readers find plenty to read every day but they don’t consistently find news that is relevant to them and their business challenges. They don’t often find news that takes a stand supported by facts. We aim to do both.

So, instead of chasing the highest number of eyeballs, we will chase and deliver the most valuable news. We’ve set the bar high. To succeed, we need to write articles that deliver value worth paying for. That’s why we’re a subscription publication.

Subscriptions cost $399/year or $39/month. All articles are behind the paywall. That’s an intriguing business model. I think it will work. 2,500 subscribers gets them to $1M in annual revenue; 5,000 gets them to $2M. If you’re going to charge for subscriptions, charge a lot.

Update: A few readers have asked whether I subscribed. Good question. I did, for one month.

★ Friday, 6 December 2013