We always hear the first clause these days, touted as some kind of rationalization for free, ad-sponsored journalism online.

I have not heard the second clause in a long time. Yet, if consumers want an independent, brave, hard-hitting, press, they are going to have to pay for it themselves. No journal that depends solely on ad revenue will ever be truly independent of its ad clients. Ad clients will never be given negative coverage.

On the other hand, the more a journal depends on reader/subscriber revenue, the more it will tell it’s readers what they find useful. The bottom line is: you have to buy news you can use, people.