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You know how every now and then the Post or the News or even the Journal or the Times is being given away for free somewhere in our fair city, usually in a sponsored-copies promotion? Well, today, apparently, nearly everything's free. Reports a correspondent:

Why were all the tabloids being give away for free today? My West 4th station had people giving away AM NY, Metro, Daily News, and NYP. I thought a fight was about to break out. Was it: Information just wants to be free? You get what you pay for? If we hook the kids on a freebie of this Page Six stuff we'll have them for life? Or possibly all of the above? I turn to you for answers.

An answer from little old us? OK, fine. Our best guess is that it has something to do with pushing up May's monthly circ average with sponsored copies. (Although: Do newspapers care about the monthly averages? Or just the twice-yearly reports?) Anyone else catch the papers and see who's sponsoring them? If so, let us know. Meantime, we'll be heading down to West Fourth. A riot among rivalrous gangs of free-paper hawkers is something we totally want to see.

Earlier: Freepapers 2006: In Sprint to ABC Finish Line, 'Post' Gets Caught 'Roiding Up