News International announced in a memo to staff today that readers of the Times Online, the Times and the Sunday Times will receive a communication this week inviting them to register for an "exclusive preview of the new digital proposition".

The memo came from Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International. In it she informed staff that she had made no secret of their intention to begin charging for online news content.

She explained that News International is committed to producing quality journalism that is written by professionals with a deep understanding of their subject and a commitment to providing well-informed coverage of issues.

NI's chief executive openly criticised the industry for giving consumers more and more website content at no charge. She commented that the industry is "making a mistake" with this.

She also wrote: "When we talk about charging for our content online, we are talking about charging a fair price. Price alone will not be a barrier to take up."

She went on to say: "Of course, we expect to see the numbers of unique users of our sites come down dramatically. But the people who register to our new digital products will be customers who have made a positive decision to pay a fair price for journalism that they value, and they will be those who are more committed to and engaged with our titles."

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