I was first introduced to the internet in 1989. It struck me then that this tool was going to have a major impact on the way we communicate because it eliminated barriers of all sorts.
The shift away from paper is one change that affects the big publishers. The shift towards getting news direct from the source is just as great a long term threat.
The ability to interact directly with the source is a huge shift in opportunity. Don't agree with what a publisher puts on his site? Not sure you understand what was written? Just post a response attached to the original article and lo and behold, you get a response.
Now that is real tangible added value!!