Rupert Murdoch's decision to start charging for the online versions of his flagship Times and Sunday Times newspapers is a bold step, but one that will ultimately go a long way to ensuring the future of quality journalism.

The question of whether to place newspapers behind a paywall has generated fierce debate for more than a year as print publishers desperately look for new sources of revenue to keep their operations afloat. Murdoch's move will be closely watched by all and, if successful, will cause a rush of other newspapers to do exactly the same thing.

Those against paywalls argue that it's ludicrous to expect people to pay for something they've been getting on line for nothing. Chanting the "News is free" mantra, they say anyone putting their papers behind a paywall will destroy their readerships and cause their business to wither and die.

Anti-paywall advocates such as the outspoken media critic Jeff Jarvis says Murdoch will be "leaving his children with a dry, dead beast, the remains of his once proud if not great newspaper empire." The likes of Jarvis could not be more wrong.

Here's four reasons why newspaper paywalls are the way of the future:

1. News ain't news: It's true that general news has become a commodity on the internet, but it's wrong to put all news in the same category. While it's unlikely anyone will pay for celebrity gossip and coverage of breaking events, quality journalism is a very different deal. People who value well written stories, quality audio visual resources and informed comment will be happy to pay for it.

2. A one-stop destination: Newspapers work because they bring multiple elements into a single, easily digestable whole. Sure, some of it might be available in other places on the internet, but having content filtered, edited and presently as a whole makes it vastly more usable. It's called adding value.

3. New platforms: Attention is focused on Apple's iPad and its clear that it (or future devices like it) will provide a new and compelling way to enjoy news content. Having a slickly presented package of news delivered to such a device will be so compelling people will pay for it.

4. Quality versus quantity: There's no doubt that traffic to the websites of The Times and Sunday Times will drop dramatically once the paywall is in place. However the traffic that remains will be vastly more valuable. Rather than getting excited about millions of visitors who come to the sites briefly before clicking away, the papers will have a core group of loyal readers that will visit on a regular basis. Such a group is much more attractive to advertisers and therefore far more lucrative for publishers. Less can be more.

The next 12 months is going to be a fascinating time of evolution in the newspaper industry. The Great Paywall of Murdoch is only the first step.

[Disclosure: The author has spent a considerable part of his working life in the employ of News Corporation publications and continues to derive income from them]