Newspaper

A newspaper is a lightweight and disposable publication, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or special interest, and may be published daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly. They are the oldest form of widespread information gathering and dispersal, dating back some 300 years in their present form, and can be found in every country and major city of the world, as well as in most smaller communities.

The future of newspapers

The future of newspapers is cloudy, with overall readership slowly declining in most developed countries due to increasing competition from television and the Internet. The 57th annual World Newspaper Congress, held in Istanbul in June 2004, reported circulation increases in only 35 of 208 countries studied. Most of the increase came in developing countries, notably China.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A report at the gathering said China tops total newspaper circulation, with more than 85 million copies of papers sold every day, followed by India with 72 million—China and India are the two most populous countries in the world—followed by Japan with 70 million and the United States with 55 million. The report said circulation declined by an average of 2.2 percent across 13 of the 15 countries that made up the European Union before May 1. The biggest declines were in Ireland, down 7.8 percent; Britain, down 4.7 percent; and Portugal, where numbers fell by 4.0 percent. One growth area is the distribution of free newspapers, which are not reflected in the above circulation data. Led by the Metro chain of newspapers, they grew 16 percent in 2003.

Related Topics:
India - European Union - May 1 - Ireland - Portugal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another growth area is high-quality tabloids, particularly in the UK, where several of the major broadsheets are experimenting with the format (see Broadsheet#Switch to smaller sizes). Smaller and easier to hold than broadsheets, but presenting real journalism rather than traditional tabloid fodder, they appear to have drawn some younger readers who are otherwise abandoning newspapers.

Related Topics:
Broadsheet#Switch to smaller sizes - Tabloid

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Newspapers also face increased competition from the Internet for classified ads, especially for jobs, which have long been a key source of revenue.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~