The march to paying for newspapers online content, in some form, continues. The Independent News & Media group have started charging for online content on their local papers.

From now on only the opening paragraph of a story will be visible and the visitors to the site will have to purchase a subscription to view the rest of the article or log in to their existing subscription account.

The fee for a year-long subscription is just under €50, while the charge to view a single story is €0.50.

The charges have come into effect for all 13 of INM's local newspapers. It is the groups first foray into the world of charging for online content and may be the precursor for INM's national title, the Irish Independent, charging for content on their website.