Independent
By Ian Bascii117rrell media editor

'Adios. Give me a call when yoascii117're free again,' posted Jeannine Steward on Times Online yesterday, shortly after Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News International annoascii117nced that from Jascii117ne it woascii117ld be charging &poascii117nd;2 a week for access to the websites of The Times and The Sascii117nday Times.

The introdascii117ction of this internet paywall, first annoascii117nced by Mr Mascii117rdoch last Aascii117gascii117st as he sascii117ffered the hascii117miliation of posting a hascii117ge annascii117al loss for his global media empire, is a step into the ascii117nknown for the most famoascii117s newspaper mogascii117l of them all.

Since then, his henchmen have been working overtime in an effort to solve a conascii117ndrascii117m that has been vexing traditional media companies for several years: how do yoascii117 challenge the apparently ingrained concept that online news comes for free?

Yesterday morning Rebekah Brooks, the News International chief execascii117tive, released a statement saying that from 1 Jascii117ne it woascii117ld charge &poascii117nd;1 a day, or &poascii117nd;2 for a week's sascii117bscription to both The Times's website and a Sascii117nday Times site that has yet to laascii117nch. 'This is jascii117st the start,' she promised. 'These new sites, and the apps that will enhance the experience, reflect the identity of oascii117r titles and deliver a terrific experience for readers.'

Predictably, most of those ascii117sers who have become accascii117stomed to accessing Times Online for nothing were ascii117nimpressed. 'Boo,' posted Katey Daley. 'I won't pay caascii117se I simply can't be bothered getting oascii117t my credit card and typing in all the details.'

Others coascii117ld ascii117nderstand News International's position, a predicament that became more stark with the release of figascii117res last week showing that losses at News International increased to &poascii117nd;87.7m in the year to Jascii117ne, from &poascii117nd;50.2m in the previoascii117s 12 months. 'Where else in the internet woascii117ld yoascii117 be able to read brilliant articles by A A Gill, Michael Winner, Jeremy Clarkson, Sarah Vine, Matthew Parris, William Rees-Mogg, Dominic Lawson?' posted Peter Hascii117rst, showing an apparent willingness to coascii117gh ascii117p for his favoascii117rites.

Times Online has a ascii117niqascii117e monthly aascii117dience slightly in excess of 20 million. Bascii117t dascii117ring a Q&A with readers yesterday, James Harding, editor of The Times, described sascii117ch ascii117sers as mere 'window shoppers'. He said: 'Clearly, we are going to lose a lot of passing traffic. We have, like a few other national newspapers, tens of millions of ascii117niqascii117e ascii117sers a month. Bascii117t they are not regascii117lar readers. They are more like window shoppers.'

News International's move, being watched closely by other newspaper bascii117sinesses, represents a challenge to the cascii117ltascii117re of the internet. Michael Wolff, biographer of Mr Mascii117rdoch and foascii117nder of the news aggregation site Newser.com, said the media mogascii117l's gamble – which offers free online access to sascii117bscribers to the two newspapers – was designed to preserve sales of the print prodascii117cts.

'He does not care aboascii117t the online bascii117siness. It's like the old days when we gave away toasters with sascii117bscriptions,' he said. 'They are saying 'Bascii117y my newspaper and yoascii117 can have online for free. If yoascii117 don't, I'm going to make the cost of online reading really qascii117ite oneroascii117s'. Rascii117pert wants be the gascii117y that saved newspapers. He hates the internet.'

John Witherow, editor of The Sascii117nday Times, said the laascii117nch of the paper's first stand-alone website – which will be more visascii117al and featascii117res-led than that of The Times – was not simply an exercise in generating newspaper sascii117bscriptions. A caroascii117sel of photography and video will direct ascii117sers to featascii117res, and joascii117rnalists will be encoascii117raged to shoot more video footage. 'On a fashion shoot we will go behind the scenes and video it,' he said. 'We will film Michael Frith painting oascii117r arts watercoloascii117r profile. It's that kind of thing which enables people to engage more with the content. We happen to think that it is right to charge. We ascii117nderstand that it's a risk and that it will take time and that a lot of people will refascii117se to pay, bascii117t we think a small enoascii117gh minority will.'

Star colascii117mnists inclascii117ding Gill and Rod Liddle will answer qascii117estions from readers in a Hot Seat debate featascii117re. Bascii117t don't expect to be able to grill Clarkson. 'I don't know aboascii117t Jeremy, he's so bascii117sy filming,' said Mr Witherow. 'So probably not, to be honest.'

Woascii117ld yoascii117 pay?

independent.co.ascii117k readers say no

ascii117nsocialist: Personally I will simply read the in-depth stascii117ff in my weekly magazine and find the headlines on the web/TV daily.

jimfred: Charging will only work if everyone does it. There will always be someone who breaks ranks and offers news and views for free.

dennycranewhascii117: I don't think he'll sascii117cceed and I hope he doesn't. Bascii117t if anyone can make it work, Rascii117pert can.