Posted by Orin Kerr:
New York Times To Start Charging for Full Access:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_05_15-2005_05_21.shtml#1116303231
[1]Andrew Sullivan points out that the New York Times will soon
require readers who do not receive home delivery of the Times to
[2]pay $50 a year to access its op-ed page and the work of a few key
reporters. Sullivan wonders whether this will end up making the Times
less relevant:
By sectioning off their op-ed columnists and best writers, they
are cutting them off from the life-blood of today's political
debate: the free blogosphere. Inevitably, fewer people will link to
them; fewer will read them; their influence will wane faster than
it has already. The blog is already becoming a rival to the dated
op-ed column format as a means of communicating opinion journalism.
My bet is that the NYT's retrogressive move will only fasten the
decline of op-ed columnists' influence.
Maybe, but I would guess there's more to it. I think it's a matter
of finding the tipping point when lots of readers will pay to get full
on-line access to the Times. Blocking the op-ed page alone certainly
won't do it; while the Times still does some fantastic original
reporting, their op-ed page is so predictable you don't need to
actually read it to know what's on it. Reading the Times op-ed page is
kinda like eating at McDonald's: you may or may not like what they're
serving, but you've seen it all many times before. I don't think many
people would pay $50 a year for that.
On the other hand, there may be a point at which lots of people
would pay $50 a year for on-line access to the entire paper. My
prediction is that the Times will start by blocking only the op-ed
page plus a few reporters, and eventually expand the scope of material
blocked from nonpaying users until they find the point (if there is
one) where lots of users would agree to pay for access. It'll be
interesting to see where that point is, if it exists at all.
I have enabled comments. As always, civil and respectful comments
only.
References
1.
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2005_05_15_dish_archive.html#111626819344158054
2.
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=NYT&script=411&layout=-6&item_id=710365
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://highsorcery.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
