You’re Not Going To Read This in Your Daily Newspaper

Readership of large daily newspapers is down around the country again, accelerating a trend that began a decade ago, according to Editor and Publisher. That golden demographic, the 18-35 year old group, seems to be either ignoring newspapers or getting their news elsewhere, like the Internet. The exception is USA Today, which saw its circulation climb 0.05 percent to 2,281,831 copies sold each day.

"On "Bloody Monday," E&P calculated the circ numbers in the new Fas-Fax report and found steep percentage drops at many large papers. A few show modest gains, but in some spots it's downright ugly.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported a daily decline of 6% and a Sunday decline of 7.7%.The Los Angeles Times dropped 6.4% daily and 7.9% Sunday. The Los Angeles Daily News, however, was up a bit with a .09% increase in daily copies and declining slightly on Sunday."

I remember the early 1990s, when my techno-husband predicted that newspapers would wither and people would get their information electronically. I was still a die-hard newspaper reporter, one who loved the smudge of newsprint on my hands, and I insisted there would always be a place for a tangible object. A decade later, I find myself spending more and more time on the Internet, browsing blogs and news sites. By the time I read my morning newspaper, I am already aware of much of the content.

That said, I still love my morning ritual of coffee and the paper. But it’s up to newspapers more than ever to go beyond reporting of breaking news and to present interesting features and analysis.