Sustainable News Businesses through Ethical and Quality Journalism: The Role of Media Brand Reputation

This study investigates the determinants of consumers’ intention to subscribe to paid digital news by examining the roles of content utility, perceived quality, ease of payment, and promotion, with media brand reputation shaped by ethical and quality journalism a moderating variable. Grounded in the News Subscription Motivation (NSM) framework, the research addresses a gap in understanding how ethical journalism and brand trust influence subscription behavior in the context of Indonesia’s evolving media landscape. A quantitative approach was employed using PLS-SEM on data collected from 220 digital news consumers in Greater Jakarta. Constructs were measured using multi-item 7-point Likert scales and analyzed with SmartPLS 4. Findings indicate that content utility, perceived quality, and payment ease significantly enhance subscription intention, while promotion shows no direct effect. Media brand reputation strengthens the impact of content and quality, and moderates the effect of payment convenience, but does not influence the relationship between promotion and intention. These results highlight that ethical journalism and brand credibility amplify consumers’ intention to subscribe. The study offers theoretical contributions to subscription motivation research and practical implications for sustaining journalism aligned with SDG 16, emphasizing transparency and trust.