Online Journal Readers Can't Put Wallets Away (Yet)

Puncturing the hopes of thrifty web surfers everywhere, the Wall Street Journal will continue to charge for much of its online content, at least for now. New owner Rupert Murdoch's apparently unplanned announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos came after months of dithering over whether to keep access mostly subscriber-only, reports the New York Times.

Murdoch had previously said of the site, “We expect to make that free,” surprising insiders who said nothing was decided. This time, insiders confirmed the decision, which the company hadn’t intended to make public. The site will continue offering both paid and free content but may change the proportions of the mix. The issue will likely be up for reconsideration soon. (More Wall Street Journal stories.)