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"There is something being lost in the case of many of the papers - The loss of archiving. The information often leaves the site daily at some of these newspaper web sites. And when it is gone, there's no way to find it unless you go to the library and look it up (for free) or pay to access the information at the paper's web site at a future date."

That, of course, is the point. Retrieving archived articles is a potential revenue stream for the publishers. After all, the content is their product and was developed at their expense. You have the option to pay for the retrieval or go down to the library if you want to save money. The entire reason publishers exist, hire reporters, write stories, build web sites, and print newspapers is to make money -- not to provide gratis discussion material. The archive retrieval fee is for the value and convenience of avoiding a trip to the library.

If Freepers truly prefer to read WP or LAT content only on this site, then I'll bet there is a license deal that could be made between freerepublic.com and the publishers. After all, publishers are in the business of licensing their content. It doesn't seem like this approach was explored. Instead, it seems that the FR position was to argue copyrighted material was free to take.

That, of course, is the point. Retrieving archived articles is a potential revenue stream for the publishers.

But the fact is that it is free in the library. Free to copy and free to discuss with NO revenue stream to the original paper. Plus, it is archived on fishtape or whatever they use now. And it isn't much of an inconvenience to go to the library and look it up.

But it isn't about convenience anyway. It is about an old technology trying to resist the new. The printing press ticked off a whole gang of copywriters, but it eventually replaced the pen and paper as a means of passing on information. Likewise, the internet is doing the same to the printed copy and that includes the library. Freerepublic is just an extension of the library and ones' circle of friends.

Instead, it seems that the FR position was to argue copyrighted material was free to take.

Actually, we paid for it. LAT and WP sell their archived stuff to your friendly local library, and you can access your friendly local library's media archives on the Web.

All you got's to do is get a library card. ;-)