New York Times' Troubles

The New York Times is in dire straits.

First, it was forced to lop off over an inch. (Size matters.)

As if that shrinkage wasn't humiliating enough, today there's word the propaganda rag is giving up on TimesSelect.



Back in 2005, The Times starting charging online readers for access to some of its columnists.

Maureen Dowd's drivel could no longer freely be accessed via the New York Times website.

I know of one time when the TimesSelect wall was torn down.

During the week of the November 2006 elections, the lib outlet celebrated with "Free Access Week." Online readers were granted the privilege of reading their best and brightest.

Times Select is celebrating "Free Access Week" from November 6 - 12. (This dispels the notion that the best things in life are free.)

I guess dramatically limiting the readers of their columnists' articles by no longer having them available online free of charge has had its drawbacks.Their message reaches a far narrower audience. They end up preaching to the choir.

The New York Post is reporting that the days of TimesSelect are ending--permanently.

The New York Times is poised to stop charging readers for online access to its Op-Ed columnists and other content, The Post has learned.

After much internal debate, Times executives - including publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. - made the decision to end the subscription-only TimesSelect service but have yet to make an official announcement, according to a source briefed on the matter.

The timing of when TimesSelect will shut down hinges on resolving software issues associated with making the switch to a free service, the source said.

TimesSelect was a miserable failure.

Arthur Sulzberger Jr. must be pretty cranky these days.

I know what would cheer him up. He needs to expose another secret anti-terrorism program. He gets such joy from subverting the government.