Etiquette regarding the Free Press Boycott

...too long and must die. 

In my mind it was not something nearly as innocuous or simple as a news outlet that wrote something objectionable b/c it was biased and offensive to my sensibilities, so to me your analogy isn't applicable.

Now, if Brian orchestrated an outright and protracted attack on the M football program and in doing so manufactured or exaggerated the facts, lied and ignored even the most basic level of journalistic standards or ethics AND continued that attack even after it was proven that his accusations were almost completely wrong, quite simply I would stop reading his blog.

Were it gets muddy is the difference between MGoBlog as a non-MSM outlet and the FP as being one of the major local MSM outlets. I wouldn't feel the need to read and analyze whatever mistruths he was perpetrating b/c a very small, focused set of people are exposed to it and therefore it wouldn't matter to me. His story would not get picked up nationally, would not needlessly slander the program to a wide audience and surely would not invite an investigation by the NCAA. The FP can and did. As long as their attack continues and their reporting is biased, I will forego clicking on any Free Press content and will vehemently urge others to do so. Insomuch as they publish additional articles attacking the M football program, I will find some way to apprise myself of the contents of that article and I will do so in a manner that does not provide any benefit to the party that is attacking my team.

You seem to find it easy to ignore the fact that the attacks from the FP were contrived for the sole purpose of generating the revenue in question. I find no ethical dilemna in 'subverting' that because this is much more than simply a 'message I didn't like', rather it is an all out attack on the program I love. If I do not know the substance (or lack thereof) of what the FP are writing, I cannot counter the lies and misinformation being spread to my alumni friends, alumni family, friends who are fans of Michigan or a rival team, so I will get the information and have no moral obligation to pay them for it.

Many of those people mentioned came to me shocked and outraged by what the Freep wrote originally and fortunately I was able to point them here where they got the whole story and now the vast majority of them ignore anything that the FP writes, with a good portion joining in the all out boycott. Very few of those people would have been aware of the real story otherwise.

I respect your decision and your views, your thoughts are well-formed and aptly communicated and the points you raise are certainly reasonable. I just don't happen to agree with them.