Scribd's all-you-can read service adds major newspaper articles
The service will pay the newspapers for every article in an effort to fight fake news.
Scribd's transformation into an all-you-can-read subscription-based service hasn't always been smooth-sailing, but it's truly moving farther away from its PDF roots. The company has just announced that it's teaming up with its first newspaper partners and a few popular news brands, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Financial Times, NPR and ProPublica.
Take note that you'll only be able to access select articles that Scribd chooses from those publications. It doesn't sound like the website was able to replicate the deal it made in 2016, which gave you unlimited access to Bloomberg Business Week, Fortune, New York, People and Time. Still, it's a good way to get your hands on some pieces from notable news organizations if you don't have existing subscriptions to any of them, especially since NYT and The Guardian have pulled out of Facebook's Instant Articles platform.
According to the company, it negotiated different deals with the publications, with some of the newspapers opting to get paid for every article it publishes. "This puts dollars back into the journalistic ecosystem and clears the hurdle publishers are struggling with: to get people to pay for news," Scribd said in a statement. By paying the publications, it creates a "sustainable distribution model for high-quality journalism," which can help fight off fake news.
Scribd's newspaper partners will go live today, along with the website's new design and new curation tools. They won't cost you extra outside of the $9 fee you're already paying per month. If you don't really care about the new additions, though, the service always has books, audiobooks and other reading materials you can devour.
