If the person that has the expertise doesn't want to answer the question for free ... then the free market will deem access to that knowledge more valuable, and

If the person that has the expertise doesn't want to answer the question for free ... then the free market will deem access to that knowledge more valuable, and his consulting fees will increase. Everything is an ebb and flow. When the "value" of some knowledge goes down due to what some might call oversupply, the value of other knowledge will go up because it is not shared freely; those who need that knowledge or service will then be willing to pay a premium for it since they could not find it elsewhere. You're right that some things that were great ways to make a living are starting to become less-so. The answer is to simply to not try to make a living at that thing that is undervalued by the market. If enough providers of that service leave the supply pool, then the value will increase and compel the supply to return. The market doesn't have an obligation to support journalists ... if no one wants to pay them because they can get information on twitter, reddit, and facebook ... well, that's how it is :)