Nearly a month has passed since The Vicksburg Post’s launch of the new website. The launch has been met with some excitement, some disappointment and a few of George Carlin’s favorite words.

Still, though, confusion exists on several levels.

Viewers who want to access the site — both pay and free content — must register. This is not unlike so many other sites other than newspapers.

By registering, readers have access to the site’s free content, which includes obituaries, classified advertising and the My Community section, which is a valuable tool for anyone trying to organize a reunion, schedule youth ball practice or get reconnected with old friends.

Premium access has a charge, but with that charge comes every piece of information The Vicksburg Post prints every day. The payment model for newspapers’ websites is still in its infancy, but more and more are heading that way. The New York Times — the Old Gray Lady — is beginning to offer a premium pay service. The Wall Street Journal is heading toward a pay model. Some Mississippi papers other than this one are implementing pay models as well.

Many online readers responded to the pay model with shock, writing that the news should be free.

Technically, the news is free. If a barge on the Mississippi River slams into the old bridge, those standing on the shoreline are watching news happen. But why did the boat slam the bridge? Who was captain of the boat? Who owned it? Will charges be filed?

Those answers will not come from the captain getting on shore and announcing to whomever will listen as to what happens. Those questions are answered between officials and paid reporters, then constructed in a factual way for the readers.

Can anyone imagine 100 years ago the paper boy standing on the street corner screaming “Extra! Extra! Read all about it,” only to give away copies of the paper to anyone who wants to read — for free?

Whether the news is delivered electronically or with smudge-causing ink, the news has to be delivered. That delivery — from reporter, to editor, to press operator to website manager — costs money.

The Vicksburg Post is not the first to move to a subscription-based website, and this newspaper will not be the last. The alternative might be no newspaper at all.

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Sean P. Murphy is web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com