The ultimate fate of newspapers has been questioned in recent months, as subscribers flee to the internet and ad spend slowly diminishes, but dire predictions about papers' imminent demise are nothing new.

With the advent of commercial radio and the arrival of television, naysayers predicted the doom of newspapers, points out John Hughes of the Christian Science Monitor. That pattern continues as the internet has become the first choice of information for many in the "new generation" of information consumers.

However, there is typically no news online without a news organization to provide it, however the means of delivery may change, he writes; and while "any weirdo or conspiracy theorist" can get online to offer his or her version of the news, trusted papers give credibility to the information received via the internet.

With that in mind, Hughes says one of the biggest challenges facing newspapers is not the internet but the lack of ethics on the part of some journalists. In recent times, because of certain reporters who have admitted to having manufactured people and events, top editors at top papers have been forced to resign and news organizations' credibility has been challenged.