Now is the time for newspapers to strike out

Why is The Daily Telegraph not making more of its online expenses coverage? The Guardian has captured the initiative on this, publishing the records on their website in a searchable format, that allows ordinary voters like you and I to quickly search for our local MP, or examples of expenditure that concern us most.
There is no way that I would have bought the Telegraph every day for the past four weeks (and counting), just to establish the details concerning my local MP or interests. However, if the information had been published online as well, I would have readily paid a nominal fee per day, week or visit to read what I wanted to. This story could have been the perfect test bed on which to launch a pay-per-view model and begin to experiment with monetising digital content.
I have always championed the fact that Web 2.0 allows publishers to deliver information in a way that cannot be achieved in ink-on-paper. A searchable database of expenses, with extended coverage and analysis for those who want it, would have been brilliant.
Instead, I see the Telegraph are printing a colour supplement with Saturday's paper - yet more newsprint to wade through. Will it boost copy sales? Watch this space.

Now is the time for newspapers to strike out