The Unthinkable Lay Only in the Minds of the Unimaginative

What is everyone so scared of? And who is everyone? It seems to me, that this 'panic' about the demise of the newspaper industry is being driven by the owners of printing presses, who will lose substantial revenue with the death of the newspaper, newspaper business, and college students in journalism, desperately wondering what lies ahead for them. Yes, a revolution is taking place. This hardly calls for fear, though. It calls for creativity. Perhaps I hold these thoughts because I'm still an idealistic college student, not yet exposed to the real world, but I firmly believe in innovation and this appears to be a ripe opportunity.
I agree with Clay Shirky in that the world will still need journalism. Of course. It will simply take different forms. The Amazon Kindle allows readers to buy subscriptions to newspapers. Furthermore, the release of the iPad (which could start a revolution in itself)will give readers access to newspapers' websites more often and in more places. Technology may be a double-edge sword for the newspaper industry, but if the industry can accept such a daunting change, then perhaps it can stop worrying and start experimenting with new business models.

Oh and just as an after thought- if ads and sponsorships don't generate enough revenue online to support a newspaper, why not charge for a more user friendly interface? I personally dislike the way most news websites are presented. We don't have to lose the feel of the newspaper, even if we're losing its literal 'feel'. I envision a set up on the computer that looks just like a newspaper with all the different sections and same aesthetic appeal. I could click and zoom in on the stories or click on the corner to flip the page. I think I would pay an extra $3.99 a month for a superior newspaper website interface.