If you asked me to name five publications, The New York Times (NYT) would be the first one I said. For better or worse, there’s no denying that The Times is one of the– and dare I say, the most– influential publication in the United States.
So right now, you’re probably thinking: who cares? And normally, I would’ve agreed. That was until August 27, 2025. Beloved to many, the Mini Crossword was taken away, and locked behind a paywall. OK, maybe that’s a little dramatic considering the circumstances, it’s just a crossword. But no, sometimes, it really is that deep.
If you take into consideration that the Mini Crossword was supposed to be the free alternative to the actual crossword, the situation presents itself in a different way. What’s next, Wordle? Connections?
Many fans of the crossword (affectionately dubbed the “Mini”) believe that pay walling the Mini was done in poor taste. Frequent players were shocked to discover that a part of their morning routine was gone, with no notice.
It also doesn’t help that immediately after the Mini’s disappearance, The NYT offered a discount on the monthly subscription, meaning that they were fully aware of the uproar that fans would be in. In a move that was seemingly supposed to increase subscriptions, it funnily enough, did the complete opposite.
Even more ironic is The Times inability to properly compensate their workers. In November of last year, members of the Tech Guild– those responsible for the NYT games– went on a week-long strike, citing unfair pay as one of the main reasons. Maybe The Times should put more energy into solving the actual monetary problems, instead of pay walling, again, the free alternative to an already paid game.
Maybe there are more important things to critique The Times on, but can you really blame users for being upset over the loss of the Mini? Who knows, if they can replace the Mini with Pips (what even is Pips), our other beloved games could be next.
