Hot news this week is Economist.com’s “subscriber sponsorship” plan, where advertisers pay for users’ access to Economist.com in exchange for a more targeted, and appreciative, viewer audience. Sleuth Holovaty spotted links to the discussions below on E&P, I Want Media, and Poynter.org.

Here are actual articles discussing the plan:

~ View an Ad, Get Something Free at Some Web Sites, Reuters

~ Start of a New Trend? Paidcontent.org