Wired has a solution — it’s going to stop paywalling articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. This approach makes a lot of sense from the standpoint of civil duty. They’re called public records for a reason, after all. And access to public documents is more important than ever at this moment, with government websites and records disappearing
This is good. Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow
We hope others will follow its lead (and shoutout to outlets like 404 Media that also make their FOIA-based reporting available for free).
We also hope those who stand to benefit from these outlets’ leadership (that’s you, reader) will do their part and subscribe if you can afford it. They’re not asking for an arm and a leg. Wired is offering digital subscriptions for $10 annually at the moment. You probably spent that on a mediocre sandwich this year.
Supporting transparency in government and journalism for the price of a mediocre sandwich sounds delicious.