New York Times Asks Twitter to Take Down @FreeNYTimes and Other Paywall Sidesteppers

Within hours of the New York Times announcing its impending paywall for online content, several Twitter accounts popped up that claimed to have found a loophole. And now the Times is fighting back, asking Twitter to take down these rogue accounts.

The Times will be charging between $15 and $35 per month to access more than 20 of its articles online. This subscription plan covers articles read on iPads and iPods, as well as those found through Google.com.

However, the loophole that several Twitter accounts have found works like this:

Content on the New York Times must be paid for via a monthly subscription unless the user arrives to that content via Twitter.

The Times clearly implemented this loophole because they acknowledge just how important social networking is to their brand, and to traditional journalism in general.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Spring Special

Save 30% Off an ADWEEK Subscription Today!

View Your Options

Already a member? Sign in