The New York Times is taking down its website pay wall. From Monday, its columnists and archives will be freely available. The decision is an acknowledgment by its management that the company stands to earn more money through advertising sales from increased traffic on its website than it did by asking readers to pay a fee for premium content.
The website is already America's most popular newspaper website, confirmed by the latest Nielsen//NetRatings audit for August. See Dan Gillmor's comment on the implications of the Times's decision.
The news comes as shares of the New York Times company sank a further 2.5% to reach a 52-week low after Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock to "sell" from "neutral."
