How about this?

So why don't they do it? What is actually keeping the people who run newspapers from just putting their pnline content behind a pay wall? Sorry if posing this question doesn't win me any points with those who are apparently grading threads for originality.

 

Several have tried. Readers don't buy enough to make it wortwhile.

 

Fair enough. But given that, shouldn't they stop whining about Google if they're going to just continue to give Google access to their product for free?

 

They are positioning themselves to try to force some way of making Google or ISPs pay them a fee.

It's silly and it won't work, but the industry is in its death throes and you are going to see a lot of flailing about.