At a panel discussion during the WAN-IFRA International Newsroom Summit in Hamburg yesterday editors from three leading news publications discussed the future of mobile news. Wolfgang Blau, editor of ZEIT Online expressed the fear that news apps don't deserve „the hype and herd mentality that they have received.” Spiegel's Matthias Müller von Blumencron clearly spoke out agains walled garden despite rumours claiming the publication might raise a paywall. Only Wall Street Journals Managing Editor Knut Engelmann defended charging for online news. The Wall Street Journal in Germany solely relies on online subscription revenue as they don't publish a print publication. Blau closed the panel with the remark: „I'm longing for more online only startups in Germany in order to force change upton the industry.“
Frederik Fischer for Liquid News Room, LNR
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