[Tublecane]

I have to ask, if the internet is making the old media obsolete, why do we need to take any action at all? Why can’t we just let the internet take over?

[sam_paine]

if the internet is making the old media obsolete, ....Why can’t we just let the internet take over?

Because 'the internet' is not going to take over when all the local/indy sites go down, AP/Reuters will be taking over:

News Agency Dominance in International News on the Internet

The [internet] aggregators offer the bizarre spectacle of readers offered dozens of links to entirely irrelevant media outlets for every story. For a breaking story in China, for example, readers may be offered links to the likes of the Arizona Republic, KRQE Television (New Mexico), and the Calgary Sun.

Most of these local and regional news outlets, of course, will be providing the same news agency coverage and offer readers no unique coverage of the story. The intention seems merely to offer the “4,500 news sources updated continuously,” as Google news promises.

This leaves us with a picture of an online news world (in the English language) where only four organisations do extensive international reporting (Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC) a few others do some international reporting (CNN, MSN, New York Times, Guardian and a few other large newspaper and broadcasters), and most do no original international reporting.

[MathDoc]

I have to ask, if the internet is making the old media obsolete, why do we need to take any action at all? Why can’t we just let the internet take over?

That's the problem. This problem will be solved unless the government intervenes. I expect immediate government action to "fix the problem" since that is the only way to maintain the status quo.