Let the leaks begin! As The New York Times prepares to launch its metered paywall, the Web is abuzz with alternative for subscription-averse readers. Referring to code that will block cart blanch
access to NYTimes.com,
Nieman Journalism Lab
writes: "Unfortunately for the Times, there are plenty of popular (or popular-among-nerds) tools that tactically remove little bits of CSS and Javascript." In on instance, Canadian coder David Hayes
just released NYClean, a "bookmarklet," which, in one click, tears down The Times' paywall. In what he calls an "obligatory note," Nieman Lab's Joshua Benton says he thinks the Times is right to ask
regular readers to pay, and thinks its paywall is "basically" well designed. That said, "The Times paywall is, to a certain extent, defined by its leakiness," Benton adds. "The various holes --
external links from social media and search biggest among them -- are no accident; they're the result of some (correct, I say) thinking about hitting the right balance between fly-by and dedicated
readers."