News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch says media organizations need to persuade consumers to pay for news content online in order to thrive in the digital age.

Speaking at a two-day Federal Trade Commission workshop on the state of journalism, Murdoch said the future is promising for publishers that can adapt as audiences migrate to the Web.

The key to survival, he says, lies in giving consumers content that they want in the form that they want it, whether that be on a computer screen, mobile device or e-reader. He says companies must then charge for it because "good journalism is an expensive commodity."

News Corp. already charges for online access to The Wall Street Journal and it plans to expand this model to other publications.