Opinion - Oct. 22, 2009

A tale of two newspapers

A study on newspaper readership by the National Newspaper Association and Missouri School of Journalism is in its fourth year.

During these four years, the death of the newspaper industry has been proclaimed in all the media. Even newspapers themselves have decried the difficulties they face and are looking for new ways to disseminate the news.

It is a grave situation for the country. Without serious journalism that is both objective and comprehensive, the source of important news coverage and independent investigative reporting is lost. Without newspapers, “news” could become based on who shouts the loudest or spends the most on advocacy.

For the most part, the grim situation for newspapers is concentrated with the largest 100 or even 250 publications.

This impacts independent national and regional coverage. State capitals, for instance, have seen a dramatic drop in the number of reporters covering that beat.

It is nothing to take lightly. The erosion of news coverage is likely to continue until the right models and solutions stem the losses in both readership and advertising of these papers.

In a different category are the 8,000 newspapers in America that have 15,000 or less circulation. These are the community newspapers, often published less than daily. Many are weeklies.

Based on the data from the study, these papers, in general, continue to be strong and vibrant.

Eighty-one percent of the people surveyed for the study report reading a local newspaper every week. Seventy-three percent read all or most of it. Nearly half report reading the newspaper as much for the ads as for the news.

Local weekly newspapers tend to have a shelf life of a week or longer and subscribers and buyers, on average, share the paper with 2.36 additional readers.

The survey indicates that the reliance on community newspapers for local news is four times greater than for television and ten times greater than for radio.

The world is changing. Reportedly, so is the way people learn about the world. Yet, the story that this is the worst of times for newspapers applies to only some.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher