'The Nation' Adopts Metered Pay Wall

Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, announced today that  the 150-year magazine (I was a daily blogger there from 2010-2014) has now adopted a "metered pay wall" for its previously "free" Web site.  Here is an excerpt from the email:

In the past, the only way to read everything The Nation publishes (including our 150-year digital archive) was to subscribe. Unlike most magazines that rely on advertising to pay their bills, The Nation has always depended on the support of our readers and the generosity of our donors. But beginning today, January 11, 2016, we’re switching to a model based on metered access to our online content. We think this new system will better suit casual readers and give us the ability to share our most important work in a timely manner at critical news moments (we’re working to build a movement here, after all). Here’s how it works:

• Everyone will be able to read 6 articles for free over a 30-day period.
• After the first 3 articles, you’ll be asked to sign up for one of our newsletters so that we can stay in touch with you about our journalism.
• After 6 free reads in 30 days, you’ll be asked to subscribe at our special, introductory rate of $9.50 for 6 months of unlimited digital access. (That’s less than 37 cents per week!)
• All print and digital subscribers can log in to enjoy unlimited access. For more details on the meter or on how to create or manage your subscription, go to our handy FAQ.

Many of you already subscribe (thanks!). Some of you have let your subscriptions lapse (now’s a great time to renew!). And for others of you, this will be the first time you’ve been asked to pay for access to our articles. Because we only do journalism that matters, we believe our regular readers should be proud to subscribe—and to help keep The Nation accessible to new readers. Over the next few months, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how this is all working, as well as answering customer queries.