Birmingham and Coventry National Union of Journalists

Corporate Watch - Watching the Corporations

Have produced a number of articles on free newspapers

Free papers: Some history
Free daily newspapers have, in the past decade, been heralded as a
wholly new model for the modern newspaper, one which 'challenges' the
'traditional' business model, but which also holds the potential to
'save' an ailing industry beset with falling readership and
circulation figures in the age of online news content. However, the
history of free papers is longer than that presented by many of the
scholars and journalists commenting on their current manifestation,
Hannah Schling writes.
Read more: http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3903

Business as usual: The economics of 'free' dailies
The proliferation of free daily newspapers over the last decade has
triggered wide-spread fears that newspapers as we know them are dying
and being replaced by low-standard freesheets. Many scholars and
commentators have argued that free papers represent a 'new business
model'. Shiar Youssef argues that such claims are exaggerated and that
the dichotomy created between free and paid-for papers is a false one.
Read more: http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3904

The cost of free: What's wrong with free dailies
Free daily newspapers may provide easily acquired basic news and
information for free, but the social, political, journalistic and
other costs are too high to overlook. From limited original content
and lack of investigative journalism to environmental impact,
everything is sacrificed for the maximisation of profits.
Read more: http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3905