Two of Britain's leading newspapers, The Times and The Sunday Times, are to start charging for access to their websites and other digital services from June.
The Times editor James Harding told the BBC the strategy was a risk, but less so than giving its journalism away for free.
Owner News International, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, also owns The Sun tabloid and Sunday tabloid News of the World.
With newspaper sales in decline, companies have been searching for a business model that will make money from their online presence.
The Financial Times already makes readers pay for some online content, while the Wall Street Journal - also part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire - is currently the only major US newspaper charging readers for full access online.
