One would think a newspaper of all things would know how to craft a favorable message, but The New York Times has failed to do just that when announcing their new overpriced subscription model.

The new structure limits readers to just 20 articles or features a month, then sets different rates for each method of accessing additional content. Unlimited website and device access (phones/tablets) will now be 15 and 20 dollars per month respectively.

Telling customers they now have to pay for something that was originally free is never an easy task, but the Times didn’t even seem to try. They could have incentivized subscriptions by simultaneously announcing improved device support and then highlighted the new lower subscription cost when compared to the print edition. As a news outlet, they could have also paired this change with a piece about how paid subscription empowers readers to demand improved content.

The obvious lack of any incentive makes the new pricing come off as an overconfident money grab that when combined with the underwhelming release of The Daily, illustrates just how out of touch the established print media is with their readers.

At least The Daily had a sales pitch.