Amidst all the wailing over the Times' experiment in forcing people to pay subscriptions for Internet newspaper content, an important fact is being lost.

The International Herald Tribune.

I have seen no announcement that the IHT is changing its policies, or changing what content it offers. (The Tribune is owned by the Times Co., which bought out The Washington Post Co.'s interest a few years ago.) Here's today's opinion front page.

Notice something? That's right. The Times' columnists.

If a columnist types in the forest and no one reads them, they make no sound. The Times will find ways to get these columns out in front of its firewall, just as The Wall Street Journal learned it had to do many years ago.

You may find a slight delay, as readers of the popular Tom Tomorrow strip face. Maybe we'll see a Paul Krugman throw pillow, like this stunning Tom Tomorrow penguin model, in time for Christmas.

Salon has an exclusive on Monday publication, so rather than wading through a 30-second spot or paying for a subscription most folks wait a day until it appears at Working for Change. No big deal.

No one can force people to pay for something against their will. The Times will learn this lesson and adapt. For now they're actually enjoying the controversy. They think it makes them look forward-looking. They think any publicity is good publicity.

Until Hurricane Katrina so did George W. Bush.