Why would anyone take a gamble and invest into an industry which ...
1. Has reasonable revenues (though declining in some quarters) combined with strong community brands, valuable real estate and potential to build stronger online offerings.
2. Has many who are prognosticating the death of the industry and the market generally treats this space as being distressed (i.e. cheap).
3. The companies invested into, as far as I know - Media General, Lee Enterprises, Omaha World-Herald - all own significant printing assets and experience.
4. Has the potential to exploit the printed electronics field (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_electronics) which is rapidly developing and is close to hitting the prime time. The growth of printing electronics can be expected to create new revenue streams for companies with significant printing assets and experience who both need to and are willing to adapt their business models.
... I can't see a great deal of downsides compared to the potential upsides.
