After dangling the idea of Wall Street Journal becoming a wholly free online newspaper, News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch opted to continue the subscription system at least for now.

Murdoch is going against the grain for many online publications have abandoned the pay-for-access system to generate better revenues through online advertising. According to a news report, he believes this is the right course for WSJ because this firewall “creates an elite audience of high-income business-oriented readers whom advertisers pay a premium to reach”.

It is somewhat disappointing for many avid readers of online newspaper. If it there’s any consolation, WSJ will continue to give free access to some of the so-called “commodity” materials including videos, opinions columns and other finance-related articles.

But those “really specialized (material) giving the greatest insights” will remain a subscription service.

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