New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. was fairly blunt when asked two weeks ago about what types of people are likely to go out of their way to evade the paper’s paywall:

“It’ll be mostly high-school kids and people who are out of work.”

That didn’t go too well, according to the Cutline, as it made Sulzberger and the Times appear a tad elitist and to be targeting high-income readers at the expense of the working class.

On Tuesday night at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Sulzberger didn’t do much to change his high-brow attitude when asked how low-income people will access the paper’s digital content.

“Just translate that question to print,” he said. “How will low-income people get access to the New York Times in print? Imagine we were 20 years ago. The answer is: it’s harder. The New York Times supports a newsroom of enormous size and scope, and it needs the financial resources to do that. And the advertisers pay a vast part of that, but not all of it, and that’s been true for decades.”

In other words, if they don’t pay up they won’t get access.

Sulzberger was then bailed out by Times CEO Janet Robinson whose response was more politically correct.

“Low-income families, and certainly children of all ages, can access New York Times content through the learning network, which is not part of the digital subscription model,” she said. (The Times, in print and online, is free in schools and colleges.) “And their teachers, academically, across the entire country and beyond, can certainly access content as well.

I guess Sulzberger forgot about the Times’ educational efforts.

Those low-income types can get online access for just 99 cents a week for the first four weeks or if they just happen to be a registered user they may even be eligible for a longer 26-week promotion of $1.99 a week, which would come out to a little more than half of the cheapest print subscription currently available.

Based on Sulzberger’s comments it would be best if the Times uses only Robinson to handle questions, lest the paper appear to become even more snobbish than it already is.

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About the author

Don Irvine
Don Irvine is Chairman of Accuracy in Media. He is active on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow him @donirvine to read his latest thoughts.

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2 Comments for NYT’s Sulzberger:’Paywall Will Make It Harder for Poor People To Access Content’

The Major

WHO CARES,,,IT’S THE “TIMES”
At one time,,their motto “all the news that fit to print” actually meant something. Now ,,,it’s more like ” If it fits,,print it”. I see the Paul Krugman a one time ‘gunga din’ for Obama is hammering BHO for ‘Caving’ in to Repubs & not having a spine. Doesn’t Krugman know by now that BHO must wait for orders from higher up before he says or does ANYTHING????
Maybe the Times will NOT be there for BHO this time around & WE WIN.
But of course,,I’m not holding my breath on that one.

Wildbird

The NEW YORK SLIMES is heading toward extinction GOOD RIDENCE