Fair is a limit representing the truth, no matter what you want/ it is the reality of the work that should decide the payment.  In other words, the people should choose what is in their best interest, and pay accordingly; rather than be charged for the work.  Because what is important to you/ may or may not be important to me.  However what is important to us all, is absolutely necessary for society to see, study, recognize, and learn from.  Therefore the base interest in establishing media payment is:   that the NEWS, has three base categories of interest to humanity: local/ national/ world.  Within these categories there are four more levels of interest:   money or happiness, business and government, life and a future, environment and nature.  These four establish a payment in the order they are presented within: payment 1, as the lowest is money and happiness as these are replaceable and offer the least in terms of reality or truth.  Payment 2; business and government establish the base terms of what the majority must deal with in society, and as a consequence we do need to participate and decide for ourselves what can or cannot be.  Where a choice exists, it belongs to society rather than government or business.  Payment 3; life and a future, which means distinctly that all things which dramatically affect our lives or the lives of many children at some point in the future because of these decisions is a necessity that we understand what it is we are deciding, how that gamble can go wrong, and what we are willing to risk as humanity on earth to achieve a direct and specific goal.  This is OUR DECISION, not any other; because all gambling is about our lives too.  Payment 4 is the reality of our planet, and the consequences we cannot change/ by the decisions people have made.  Or more specifically we are now so many people that individual nations can cause the extinction of us all/ can destroy and mutilate our nature our bodies our minds, our very existence from the face of this earth.  And WE MUST stop that from happening further, it is an absolute NEED. 
So then we have our scale of what human beings need to know/ therefore must pay with regards to the information deemed useful to ALL life and society on earth.  The question is how to collect, and who decides what is useful or necessary?

The answer is;   a network of professionals who do pay a small amount to be heard, by offering their work on specific sites that are dedicated distinctly and only to “the news” in any one of the specific 7 categories that are listed. Will form a base of editors from which the most important news being collected will be chosen as necessary to be known.  They don’t get to edit the work/ but they do get to choose what and why the news being collected will go on to national and world attention in web sites around the world that are owned by the people themselves.  Or more simply the people pay all the bills for these few sites/ and all the information put upon those sites does come from the professionals mentioned above.  To be consistent and fair/ every article submitted must be analyzed and graded for content before the author or company is known; because like me, there are those who are not known that must be heard equally.  That means in a simple sense all articles shall be given a number upon submitting.  That number is tied to the article in what is likely to be a “scrolling line” across the web site (pick one)/ and the people who are registered as professionals will grade the work; either poor/ useful/ or necessary.  YOU only get one category, to call yourself professional (vote in), such as is science: so pick wisely. Poor is discarded after 70% of the registered viewers have voted; the rest go on to national/ world sites and are established as articles in their own categories chosen on the professional site as well, with the name and/or  company presenting.  The public is invited to   vote as well on any numbered article, and by the 70% acceptance over poor grade ( but not less than 10,000 independent views), that article shall appear on the national site as well.  The level of interest, chosen viewing.  The level of grading by professionals.  The level of severity as in the 7 categories listed determines the pay.  These are web sites realities/ and all broadcast, entertainment, or other services using that article, shall pay the national site for their work in providing the article to be used; a fair and legitimate amount.  

Professional sites are funded ONLY by donation/ so as to avoid and refuse commercial, corporate, university, or other influences.   The purpose of a professional site is to define and create what the public needs to know/ rather than what influences money or power or pride can buy.  Therefore no real advertizing, although some minimal amount (of non-influence advertizing: SMALL business) for the sake of sustaining the site can arise if necessary.  National sites are allowed what the people vote to accept as their own determination of payment (comes from your taxes); or,  they pay instead of us, in exchange for advertizing to us.  By popular vote, the amount of advertizing and the cost for that advertizing is set. By the people themselves.  A rotating lottery decides who gets “the spot”/ and for how long.
Since WE THE PEOPLE own each and every national or world web site as will be displaying the edited work.  There are no issues of ownership/ once it is handed to the public site, it becomes public.  You are paid, at the predetermined rate/ the deal is done.   Let the public decide for themselves just how many such sites they need. 

As to the professional sites for the purpose of defining and creating materials to be read and paid for on a national/ world scale.  The reality is: this is not a business model in the sense that any great amount of money shall be generated.   The professional sites, are to be a joining of interests to determine what will or will not be assessed as worthy of knowledge among the public by individual people whose lives have been dedicated to finding and understanding what is important to life and society.  That is NOT limited in scope to those who call themselves professional/ but is established by those whose articles are read, and found to be professional in content or purpose or expressed in ways that people need for understanding of the whole.  Which is why the originating stories must be “blind and deaf” to who presented them.  Each who registers as a professional is subject to the grading principle: if your article fails by a poor rating/ your next article shall be limited to 500 words.  If that receives a poor rating as well:   your registration has expired, and you are no longer allowed to vote or present.  This however is limited within the terms that there MUST be a minimum of 500 professional registrants prior to anyone being released from their opportunity to present.  So as to remove “the gangs” who will try to control.  You may re-register in a related category if one exists, but with only one more try; you MUST obtain over poor ratings.  The professional may or may not use their own name on the site; its up to you/ HOWEVER to be paid: you will have to surrender proper identification.  The national/ world sites shall then be able to pay you for your work.  Under privacy restrictions as would be consistent with the first amendment freedom of the press/ that payment can be kept private or personal:   its up to you to create that for yourselves.
The same rules and realities can be applied to local/ state/ etc.
In addition to these basic services: there must be a category all its own for what is considered to be “an immediate need for important news (NOT a royal wedding, etc)”. Wherein the most important ideas, can be sorted through;  for understanding a catastrophe, or whatever it is; so that the best we can do as a humanity.  These require a news item to come forward based upon: “look, and vote upon this first”.  Such as is Fukushima or the gulf oil spill, etc/ and WHAT CAN we do.  To accommodate this: the information sent MUST be categorized into “same or very similar/ different/ and important”.  Therein a list of just a few will emerge as consistent with “consider these ideas or possibilities”.