Understand content access rules

Access rules select content for a Plan. Decide what City Journal readers should be able to read, then choose the classification and terms that identify that content.

Monthly and annual subscriptions under the same Plan share its access rules. Their periods do not create different content selections.

Classification and terms

A classification groups terms used to describe content. Your publication's labels may vary.

Choose existing classifications and terms supplied by your publication's content integration. A label in a Plan does not classify articles for you. If the intended term is missing or attached to the wrong content, ask the integration owner to confirm the content classification before configuring the rule.

Use distinct terms for distinct selections. Reusing the same term identity under different classifications can make the selection broader than its display labels suggest.

Configure a selective rule

1. Open the Plan in the plans area of Admin.
2. In Access rules, turn off Full access to all content and leave predictive paywall off. Full access is on by default for new Plans; selective controls are hidden while it is on.
3. Add a classification row using + Add new, then choose the classification.
4. Choose at least one term. An empty term selection is not a rule for all content.
5. Set the row to Allowed. Leave Limit unchecked for the two examples below.
6. Select Save at the bottom of the Plan page. Reopen the Plan and check the selected classification, terms and Allowed/Limit settings.

These examples assume the Plan has no additional access rules and the content has the intended classification. Other access arrangements can affect a reader's final access.

Example 1: City Journal reporting

For City Journal Reporting, select:

This rule allows content carrying the Reporting term through this Plan. An article without that term does not gain access from this rule. A subscription's monthly or annual period does not change this selection.

Example 2: City Hall coverage

For a separate City Journal Plan intended for City Hall coverage, select:

This rule selects content tagged City Hall. If the goal is instead Alex Rivera's work, use Author(s) with Alex Rivera as the selected term.

Adding an Allowed author row to the City Hall row can widen the selection to content matching either term. It does not mean “City Hall articles written by Alex Rivera.” Likewise, selecting several Allowed terms without limits is an either-match selection, not a requirement that every term be present.

What a limit means

For an Allowed term, Limit adds a number and a period. A limit of 3 with 1 week counts distinct matching content items accessed within the preceding week; it is not a page-view count or a reset every Monday. It applies to the term, not a shared total across every selected category or tag.

A matched limit that has been reached can prevent access through the classification-rule check. An unlimited matching term should not be treated as a way to cancel that limit. Keep a limited selection simple and agree its intended scope with the integration owner before using it.

Check the whole access setup

A matched Disallowed term can block access during the classification-rule check. Full access and some other access paths are checked earlier, so a Disallowed row is not a universal block across every way a reader can obtain access.

No matching term means these term rules provide no access grant. It does not prove that the reader has no other access. Avoid mixing Full access, exclusions and limits without confirming the intended result with your integration owner.

Keep the Plan inactive while preparing. Once its selection is agreed, add subscriptions to the Plan, or return to Plans, subscriptions and access rules.

For rules that use visitor and content activity to decide when to show a wall, continue to Predictive paywall.