November 2009 ATLANTIC MAGAZINE

Brave Thinkers

Illustration by Quickhoney

Name: Walter E. Hussman Jr.
Job: Publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Why he’s brave: He refused to give content away for free and his newspaper is thriving.
Quote: “We are offering value on our Web site that complements, rather than cannibalizes, our print edition."

Hussman began charging for online access to his newspaper in 2002—and the paper remains profitable, with circulation higher than a decade ago. Once, he seemed like a lonely holdout against the future. Now, newspapers and magazines that have lowered their firewalls are looking at raising them again, emulating his revolutionary economic strategy of asking customers to pay money for a product.