If the rivals of every story subject used economic retribution to settle the score, i.e., never advertised again, then indeed the score would be settled. There would be no publication. And by extention, there would be no open journalism in America, just a bunch of press releases in manila folders that nobody would read. No, putting up with the frustration of seeing a rival on the cover today is worth it in the long run if your patience means preserving a service that educates the business public, because an educated public is the kind you want using your business. Better to concentrate on doing your business better, or advertising your business more, rather than beheading the bearer of bad news.
Serious journalism is frustrating.
It is less a frustration to most serious journalists than it is to serious publishers who are trying to package the whole thing into a business that serves the educable masses and survives the vagaries of a few individuals. Compared to publishers, most good journalists have it easy because they are insulated from much of the pressure of raising the revenue for their own salaries. I am not like most. I'm the real, raw thing, the business owner, raising the salary for dozens of employees and contractors, and then raising a little more for my own family that includes two toddlers. Unlike most corporate-employee publishers, I can still report and write.