• by Ray Schultz , March 18, 2025

Wired magazine is eliminating its paywall for articles based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. 

This move has drawn praise from journalistic observers. 

“This approach makes a lot of sense from the standpoint of civil duty,” the Freedom of the Press Foundation writes. “They’re called public records for a reason.”

It was not clear whether this change is permanent. Some media outlets close down their paywalls during weather emergencies and other crisis.

But the Freedom of the Press Foundation adds: “We commend Wired for tipping the balance that all for-profit media outlets must strike between public interest and business more toward the public interest.” We hope others will follow its lead (and shoutout to outlets like 404 Media that also make their FOIA-based reporting available for free).”