It is pretty obvious to investors that the Internet has accelerated the decline in print newspaper readership. It is also clear that the Internet is contributing to business model changes (and in many cases outright news/editorial budget reductions) at print magazines.

However, that the Internet would also compel changes in broadcast network news -- and in particular, the nightly network newscast -- might be viewed as less obvious. But that, in fact, appears to be the case.

Already dealing with a cable/satellite channel explosion that's decreased their viewership due to audience fragmentation (basically people have more channel choices), network news now must increasingly cope with the reality that adults tuning in have already seen and/or read about on the web the day's top news stories by the time the nightly newscast airs.

This post is written as part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst 2006. Vote for Mel Gibson's fall from grace or see other nominees in this category.

Remember when Mel Gibson was accused of being an anti-Semite -- before everyone learned that he actually was an anti-Semite? Back when a little negative depiction in Passion of the Christ was the worst of it? I bet Mel Gibson remembers those days, and looks back to the then-baseless accusations with fondness.

Now, when people accuse Gibson of hating Jews, they have a drunken tirade of truth at which to point. And Gibson has a huge hole to climb out of. He's such a "persona non grata" that some pundits are asking if The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) should really be including Mel's visage in the marketing for his new movie, Apocalypto, released December 8.

Mel Gibson fell so hard this year, from paragon of family virtues to alcoholic bigot, that he famously commiserated with Michael Richards after he got in trouble for using the oh-so-very-bad "N-word" in a comic bit gone wrong.