It's in the New York Post, so let's wait for some independent verification, but if this is true, this is good news indeed for newspaper readers online, and let's hope it's a trend.
By HOLLY M. SANDERS
August 7, 2007 -- 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.
If true, this means we'll get Krugman again, and Herbert.
I decried the Times' decision to put content behind a pay wall when it happened. I said at the time in an e-mail to Martin Nisenholtz, the now-departed CEO of Times Digital, that his financial model would prove unsustainable in the end.
Clearly I had a rooting interest in the outcome, but I wasn't the only one who felt that way. This discussion at the Annenberg Online Journalism Review two years ago indicates that some industry people had their doubts.
I hope the Post has gotten the scoop and gotten it right. I am somewhat of an absolutist in the "information wants to be free" camp, and therefore this news has made my day.