Columnist quits over paid content outrage

Posted by Helena Humphrey on November 2, 2009 at 1:56 PM

A Newsday columnist since 1996, Saul Friedman, left his position last week in protest over the paper's recent decision to make some of its website content only available to paying subscribers, the New York Times has reported. At a time when many journalists are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, Mr. Friedman has stood up for what he believes in - no doubt facilitated by the fact that at the age of eighty years old, he probably is not quite so income dependent as other, younger hacks.

Week upon week news outlets are receiving an increasing number of calls from journalists and editors to charge for online content in a bid to turn around flagging profits. Yet in giving into this plea, Newsday has divided opinion, particularly owing to its steep $5 a week subscription charges.

Justifying his decision in an interview, Mr. Friedman said: "My column has been popular around the country, but now it was really going to be impossible for people outside Long Island to read it" - himself included; residing outside Washington, and not a subscriber to Newsday nor Cablevision. Mr. Friedman will continue his column about aging, Gray Matters, for the site timegoesby.net

Source: The New York Times