Newspaper Circulation Down, as Americans Prefer to Obtain News on the Internet

Online news articles, such as the one you are reading now, are quickly becoming the primary source of news for Americans and people around the globe. Most traditional newspapers have seen a decline in their circulation (the number of people buying a paper either via subscription or at the newstands). Overall, weekday circulation at U.S. daily newspapers fell 2.1 percent in the latest six-month reporting period, ending March 2007. Sunday circulation fell 3.1 percent. USA Today, the largest daily in the country, continues to barely hold it's own, with an increase of 0.2% in circulation.

Conversely, viewer at major news sites such as MSN and CNN are climbing rapidly. Nielsen/NetRatings reported a 5.3 percent increase in the number of people who visited newspaper Web sites in the first quarter of 2007.

One possible reason for this change is the increasing desire for instant gratification. Online news can be updated as fast as the reporter can type, and can be published faster than any print media. Another possibility is consumer boredom with print media, in an increasingly multi-media age. Since television news viewing is also on the decline, this may or may not support such a conclusion. In fact, to retain viewers, television news has been drifting more and more towards entertainment, which is more "exciting" and thought to be more easily understood by viewers. Recently, all of the major networks announced major, cost-cutting staff reductions. Network news now relies much more on outside sources for news and videotape. Referring to the news media in general, New York Times columnist Frank Rich says, "...[we have seen] a 20-year trend in which the media...have steadily replaced journalistic standards with those of show business."