The biggest difference is probably that you now have more or less a handful of respected national US and international publications that still (in spite of cuts in many cases) spend serious time on reporting and investigations.
And there are various niche publications that have some combination of loyal subscribers and wealthy backers. (I don't mean the last point as a dig; lots of smallish publications are someone's labor of love.)
What's become much tougher is maintaining serious investigative journalism or even covering all the boring city council meetings in all the markets that don't have a New York Times or Washington Post. This is especially true because journalism looks like an increasingly precarious career choice. There may very well not be a job at the end of the tunnel for the budding reporter who would previously have paid his dues for a few years getting paid peanuts.
And there are various niche publications that have some combination of loyal subscribers and wealthy backers. (I don't mean the last point as a dig; lots of smallish publications are someone's labor of love.)
What's become much tougher is maintaining serious investigative journalism or even covering all the boring city council meetings in all the markets that don't have a New York Times or Washington Post. This is especially true because journalism looks like an increasingly precarious career choice. There may very well not be a job at the end of the tunnel for the budding reporter who would previously have paid his dues for a few years getting paid peanuts.