realtalk i'd pay for a news website if it gave me access to the digitized photographic archives of their publication. I think text archives should be free because, well, that's the burden of journalism. but if instead of paywalls most people dodge or decide your article really isn't 15$-in-a-hard-to-cancel-subscription important, you could provide value in other ways.
a lot gets lost in the textual digitizations because layout is almost never preserved. I still go to the library to look at NYT microfiche, but the library right now is a long car or train ride since my locals don't have them that far back.
cost of travel and time means I'm willing to throw like 10$ a research-session to it. maybe more. but I'm not willing to drop that on a newspaper that randomly has one good article every 15 ones it uses to fan the flames of the culture war where one side doesn't want me to exist.
similarly I'd pay for academic papers if I was instead allowed to read an infinite amount from that publisher for the day, but 15$-75$ a paper just isn't realistic, especially when the authors don't just not get paid, but had to pay to get their paper in the journal. Turns out the paper is crap, oh well, there goes 15 meals.
