They are trying to replicate the old media experience (newspaper) on the new technology. It's a pretty dumb idea. That's what HTML is for, websites have been around long enough and are good enough to present information, especially such simple information as news. I have no idea why anyone would care about this piece of crap app, when you can just open your browser and go to your favorite news site.
The only stuff I would consider paying for would be those great long investigative articles that magazines like the atlantic or vanity fair do. Normal shortish news articles have become a commodity that is best monetised by advertising. If traditional newspapers can't make a dollar there online leave it to the blog style sites like tech crunch and go after the real substance.
