So the short version of what Issacson is proposing is that media companies charge for access to content like Apple charges for downloads of music from the iTunes story. Why not require users, says Issacson to pay, oh, 10 cents or less for each item a reader wants.

via Will micropayments save newspapers–Or, should they be saved? – Susan Mernit’s Blog.

Susan Mernit explains why the effort to close the “barn door” or free content isn’t going to work with some good examples. I hadn’t been checking the Daily Kos so frequently lately, but she links to Kos’ update which includes a note about how much revenue the site brought in last year. If you thought the “free” in Chris Anderson’s Freenomics pieces were far-fetched, Mernit’s examples may bring the point home, or at least center it on the bottom line.