mediabistro Poll: Will Paywalls Save Newspapers?

The issue is coming to a head now as The New York Times‘ public editor reports that executive editor Bill Keller has said that the paper will decide “within weeks” whether to erect a paywall. Some in the journalism business think newspapers won’t be able to survive unless they start charging online readers. Others think it’ll be the beginning of the end, as readers flee to free sources of news — and as advertisers follow them.