Two Murdoch Papers to Add Pay Wall

In a sign that the media market is in flux on both sides of the pond, two more Rupert Murdoch-owned papers, The Times of London and The Sunday Times, have announced that they will institute pay walls on their sites beginning in June. News International, a subsidy of Murdoch’s News Corp., said that a day's usage will cost readers one British pound (about $1.50) and a week's usage will cost two pounds (about $3). Both titles also plan to launch new Web sites in May. Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International, said, "At a defining moment for journalism, this is a crucial step toward making the business of news an economically exciting proposition. We are proud of our journalism and unashamed to say that we believe it has value." Other papers, such as The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, already have pay walls in place; in January, The New York Times announced it would follow suit, charging frequent readers for access.