
After being purchased by The Chattanooga Times Free Press, it was announced by TFP managing editor Jordan Krampton that The Chattanooga Bystander would implement a paywall in order for readers to access its award-winning articles online.
“We asked the publishers of The Chattanooga Bystander for their financial records,” said Krampton. “They just handed us an Applebee’s kids menu with mustard stains and a few numbers scribbled on it in crayon.”
“We have no idea how these people are making any money,” said Krampton. “Their content was free, and they had no advertising. This is America, gosh darn it. If you do something that doesn’t make any money, that’s just Un-American.”
The paywall will require readers of The Chattanooga Bystander to purchase an annual subscription to access its content or simply get around the paywall by using Google’s Translate feature.