Srinagar, Jan. 20 -- By Shehlat Maknoon Wani

LAST month, while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across a Tweet from an Indian writer. In brief one-liners, the writer fumed at people who do not pay and subscribe for news. "Don't be cheap. It will cost you the price of a cup of coffee at Barista/Starbucks for a monthly subscription." It made me wonder if this is the solution to the crisis that Indian news media is facing.

It was around two centuries ago when the steam-powered press made newspapers cheap and affordable in America. These low-cost newspapers were called the penny press newspapers. They were sold for a penny when most of the newspapers cost six pennies. These newspapers initially relied on printing gossip but later v...