Hark, Medillians (and all others continually harassed by 21st-century media realities):

The Wall Street Journal announced this afternoon that its Web site now has over 1 million paid subscribers, a rare achievement for an online news provider that charges a fee. The print version of Rupert Murdoch’s New York-based publication is the second most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States behind USA Today.

This information comes a day before the Audit Bureau of Circulation releases its biannual statistics on over 700 publications across the United States. As free online media continues to grow in popularity, while print outlets consistently report dwindling readerships, the Journal’s paid site is a hopeful sign for news providers.

Murdoch said in a Reuters report that he’s considering making access to the site free. Advertisers will consequently foot the entirety of the bill.