PAYWALL The New York Times began charging readers for access to its online content in early 2011. Recognizing the fact that readers today are gravitating toward reading the news on their smartphones or tablets, all of the plans offered by the Times include some form of mobile access. Still, in order to mitigate the decrease in online traffic and to alleviate resistance from those who feel like they shouldn’t have to pay for online content, the Times allows readers free access to twenty articles a month, as well as free access to articles via a search link or a link posted on a social networking site.