U.S. Open Prompts Inquirer to Lift Paywall For at Least a Week
The incoherence of the Interstate General Media paywall strategy continues. Recap: the Inquirer and the Daily News are outfitted with hard paywalls, but all their content is available for free on Philly.com. Now, the Inky has decided to lift the paywall to show off its newish site. Ever since the building collapse last week, an Inquirer reporter tells Romenesko, staffers have been pushing IGM to lift the paywall, as Philly.com was cannibalizing all their traffic–and impressive coverage. Ultimately, it was not Wednesday’s tragedy, but the forthcoming U.S. Open golf tournament in Ardmore that convinced them to finally do so, beginning Saturday.
How long? The Inquirer has said they’ll show off their new online digs for another week. But Inky culture writer Stephan Salisbury, replying to a tweet I sent him, said the site would be free “At least until June 17, and perhaps beyond.”
