I always assume thtat the websites which hosted news stories etc financed themselves with adds, and indeed with encouraging people to physically buy their paper, when they sell one.
Actually, I could see this having the precise opposite intended effect,- --- sinse why should I pay the guardian for their website, when I can probably find either an independent, or a website which offers similar news elsewhere for free, --- for instance oneof the bbc websites (I was looking up a news story on the bbc site the other day).
As for the search engine business, I personally would rather change my news site, ---- than change my search engine, ---- and sinse that search engine is google, well certain news sites would lose out on my patronage if this comes into effect.
I suspect there are lots of people who will think in a similar way, ---- afterall, people are more likely to use what they're used to, than change just to access other stuff.
Thus, if your a fan of the guardian, you'll always consult it first for news and not bother with a search engine, ---- and if your a fan of google, you'll consult it first for research.
Afterall, you can always go to the guardian website directly and do an on site search with your favourite brouser anyway.
All I can really see this doing is causing serious researchers who have to check many news sites for information and use a search engine extensively, ---- really bad headaches!
Luckily, my own research involves basically looking in lots of academic jernals, ---- which you couldn't find through google anyway, and on the occasions I have to look up a specific fact, ---- such as the actual medical criteria for mental disability or visual imparement, ---- I can use wikipedia, ---- sinse in philosophy it's not generally necessary to exhaustively reference sources for publically available information as it would be in history or law, ---- though of course, referencing academic sources is very important, --- but I wouldn't get those from a net search anyway.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)