Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps?
A correspondent emails me:
Gmail - [JournoList] WSJ: Newspaper Circulation Drop Sharpens: ANDREW LAVALLEE: April 29, 2008; Page B1: Most of the nation's biggest newspapers saw circulation tumble at an increased rate, a sign that the migration of readers online may be picking up speed.... [A]verage weekday circulation at 534 daily newspapers fell 3.6% for the six months ended March 31, compared with the year-earlier period.... Sunday circulation fell even more, losing 4.6% on average....
Nearly all of the 10 biggest newspapers in the U.S. posted circulation declines.... The New York Times' average weekday circulation fell 3.9% to 1.08 million. It saw an even steeper drop in Sunday circulation, which was down 9.3% to 1.48 million. "This was a decline that we planned and budgeted for," said New York Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty. The company has eliminated "bonus days," in which the Sunday paper was delivered to weekday subscribers, and has cut back on discounted and advertiser-paid distribution as it attempts to grow more-profitable circulation, she said. In that shift, she added, "We do expect to see some copy decline"...
The New York Times--between David Brooks, Tom Friedman, William Kristol, Ben Stein, Judy Miller, Elizabeth Bumiller, Larry Rohter, Michael Cooper, and a host of others, I know that I feel icky every time I pick up my New York Times and realize that my money is helping to feed them.
Perhaps the scariest person around is New York Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty, whose claim that a 9.3% decline in Sunday circulation was a decline "that we planned and budgeted for."
