“The End of Clickbait? How Web3 is Changing the Game for News Publishers”​

Marco Dinis Santos
3 min readMar 23, 2023

As a former journalist with over 10 years of experience, I have seen the news industry undergo significant changes. The rise of web3 and blockchain technology is set to be the next big transformation for the news industry, and I believe it has the potential to be hugely beneficial.

Web3, also known as the decentralized web, is a new iteration of the internet that is being built on blockchain technology. It promises to be more secure, transparent, and fairer than the current web. In the context of the news industry, this could mean a more trustworthy, authentic, and diverse range of news sources and stories.

Image by Logan Weaver on Unsplash

One way that the blockchain is already being used in the news industry is through platforms like Factr. Factr is a decentralized news platform that uses blockchain technology to verify the authenticity of news stories and to ensure that they have not been tampered with. This helps to increase trust in the news by providing a more transparent and accountable platform for news publishers. We can also look at the Associated Press case, which is using blockchain technology to track the usage of its news content and ensure that it is properly licensed and credited. This helps to create a more fair and transparent ecosystem for news publishers and could help to ensure that journalists are properly compensated for their work.

Another example of how blockchain technology is being used in the news industry is through the NewsCoin platform. The NewsCoin is a blockchain-based platform that enables readers to directly support the news organizations they trust by paying for content with cryptocurrency. This helps to create a more direct revenue stream for news publishers and could help to create a more sustainable business model for the news industry.

Web3 is also being used by news organizations to create more engaging and interactive content. For example, the New York Times has created an interactive article about blockchain that allows readers to explore different aspects of the technology through a series of interactive graphics and videos. This type of content is designed to appeal to a younger and more tech-savvy audience and could help to attract new readers to the news industry.

Another way that web3 is being used in the news industry is through the development of decentralized social media platforms like Mastodon. Mastodon is a decentralized social media platform that is built on web3 technology. It allows users to create their decentralized communities, which could help to promote a more diverse range of news sources and perspectives.

To sum up, the blockchain and web3 have already shown great potential for the news industry. Platforms like Factr and NewsCoin are helping to address some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, such as trust and revenue. At the same time, the use of web3 technology is helping news organizations to create more engaging and interactive content and to promote a more diverse range of news sources. While there are still challenges to be addressed, I am excited to see how these technologies will continue to shape the future of the news industry. As a former journalist, I am optimistic about the potential of blockchain and web3 to create a more trustworthy, authentic, and diverse news landscape.

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Marco Dinis Santos

A dedicated Community Manager and experienced copywriter, fostering vibrant online spaces & building meaningful connections. Connect on LinkedIn!