Update: Journalism Online draws a crowd

A few weeks ago, I told you about Journalism Online, an e-commerce startup whose mission is to help newspaper companies and other content producers find the best ways to charge for their digital content. Steve Brill and Gordon Crovitz, two of Journalism Online's co-founders, told me they were getting more interest from publishers than they had time to handle.

Now here's the proof: The venture just announced that it has deals with affiliates representing more than 500 newspapers, which in turn account for more than 90 million online readers. Journalism Online still isn't saying exactly who those affiliates are (although Brill and Crovitz told me they'd be ready to name them by the end of July); a spokeswoman says the company is bound by non-disclosure agreements and will allow the affiliates to make their own announcements.