This Sucks

WHATEVER

One of the best sites on the web just became one of the worst.

The New York Times announced yesterday that it would offer a new subscription-based service on its Web site, charging users an annual fee to read its Op-Ed and news columnists, as the newspaper seeks ways to capitalize on the site's popularity.

Most material on the Web site, NYTimes.com, will remain free to users, The Times said, but columnists from The Times and The International Herald Tribune will be available only to users who sign up for TimesSelect, which will cost $49.95 a year. The service will also include access to The Times's online archives, as well as other features.

The service, which is scheduled to start in September, will be provided free to home-delivery subscribers of the newspaper.

They are not offering anything other than the chance to pay for something I already get. Gee, thanks! Read about more of this horrible decision here. Break me a fucking give.

UPDATE: Monocle pointed me to Atrios' take on things and he is dead on:

This decision will probably over the long run destroy the Times's greatest asset - its influence on the conversation and agenda. You read the Times because people read the Times. Chip away at that, and they'll chip away at what maintains their status.

The problem is that this "influence" is something that will never be reflected in an accounting report. There is no way to quantify it therefore there is little chance full access to the site will ever be free again. Greedy bastards.