NPR: 'TimesSelect' Goes the Way of the Dinosaurs

'TimesSelect' Goes the Way of the Dinosaurs

At midnight, the content of TimesSelect, The New York Times' fee-based section that includes its top columnists and its archives, will be accessible free of charge. (Well, at least most of it. You'll still have to pay for archived stories from 1923-86.)

In a statement on the Times' Web site today, Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager, acknowledged that the times (and the Times) have changed.

Since we launched TimesSelect in 2005, the online landscape has altered significantly. Readers increasingly find news through search, as well as through social networks, blogs and other online sources. In light of this shift, we believe offering unfettered access to New York Times reporting and analysis best serves the interest of our readers, our brand and the long-term vitality of our journalism. We encourage everyone to read our news and opinion — as well as share it, link to it and comment on it.

Marketplace reports that the change comes because of pressure to "increase revenue from advertising." The first sponsor for the now-free TimesSelect content will be American Express.

One person who I'm betting will be happy about the development is award-winning Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He had been critical of the move because he felt it would cut him off from members of his global audience who couldn't afford to pay. Now they can read him all they want, all the time.

11:56 AM ET | 09-18-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

It'll be interesting to see if Friedman will ever write about how fans of his fought against the firewall by posting his columns on blogs, utilizing online anonymity and the ease of setting up new blogs. No matter how hard the Times tried to force the public to pay for access, almost every one of Friedman's columns (and the other columnists, for that matter), could be found with a simple search on Google or Technorati. In some cases, they were being reposted by overseas bloggers that were well beyond the reach of NY Times lawyers. And if they forced one blog to shut down, another one would pop up. Yet another example that the world is flat and that you can't stop the signal....

Sent by andy carvin | 2:29 PM ET | 09-18-2007

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