Nieman Foundation at Harvard
HOME
          
LATEST STORY
PressPad, an attempt to bring some class diversity to posh British journalism, is shutting down
ABOUT                    SUBSCRIBE
Nov. 12, 2019, 11:51 a.m.
Mobile & Apps

Along with a redesign, The Atlantic launched a revamped iOS app Tuesday.

The iOS-only app starts off with a “Today” screen, curated and written by humans, which users can scan for free. The newsletter-iness of that section is intentional, said Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor. The text in the Today screen changes according to the time of day; depending on when you’re reading, you’ll be greeted with “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” “Good evening,” or “Still awake?”

That Today screen is free, but to click through to any of the articles or to read any of the app’s other content, users will have to pay. (The Atlantic’s website, in comparison, has a metered paywall; visitors can read five stories free per month before they have to pay.) Most of the users of The Atlantic’s app are subscribers anyway, said Andrew Phelps, senior director of product (and a Nieman Lab alum): “Our app audience is the most loyal and engaged of any surface where we reach people. Something like three out of four come to the app at least three times a week, and that was to an app that largely just looked like the homepage of The Atlantic. Until now, it hasn’t been terribly different.” But those who aren’t paying yet can subscribe to the app for either $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

Show tags
 
Join the 60,000 who get the freshest future-of-journalism news in our daily email.
PressPad, an attempt to bring some class diversity to posh British journalism, is shutting down
“While there is even more need for this intervention than when we began the project, the initiative needs more resources than the current team can provide.”
Is the Texas Tribune an example or an exception? A conversation with Evan Smith about earned income
“I think risk aversion is the thing that’s killing our business right now.”
The California Journalism Preservation Act would do more harm than good. Here’s how the state might better help news
“If there are resources to be put to work, we must ask where those resources should come from, who should receive them, and on what basis they should be distributed.”