Exaro investigative website takes down paywall

Exaro: No paywall as it offers data services

Exaro, the investigative news website launched in October 2011, has taken down its paywall.

Exaro says it is part of a move to focus on add-on data services as its main generator of revenue, rather than subscriptions to the website.

Mark Watts, Exaro’s editor-in-chief, said: “Given the high level of public interest in Exaro’s stories, it is terrific to be able to provide readers with free access to our strong investigative journalism. And, with our development of data journalism to create editorial content and add-on data services, Exaro is at the cutting-edge of where new media is going.”

Exaro says it led the way with an investigation into politicians and other prominent people alleged to have sexually abused children three decades ago; exposed the “Whitehall tax scandal” after revealing how Ed Lester was being paid as chief executive of the Student Loans Company off the payroll, via a personal-service company; and  revealed how Rupert Murdoch indicated in a secretly recorded meeting that he knew for decades that his newspaper journalists were bribing officials.

Exaro has worked with television news programmes and newspapers on several investigations, and is looking to expand its partnership arrangements with other media outlets.

Readers will still need to register with the site to receive newsletters from Exaro. They also need to register and log in to the site to add comments or download source document. The company’s editorial and corporate offices are on the corner of Fetter Lane and Fleet Street.