Main article: Newspaper circulation Circulation and readership Most newspapers make nearly all their money from
advertising; the income from the customer's payment at the news-stand is small in comparison. For that reason, newspapers are inexpensive to buy, and some are free. The portion of the newspaper that is not advertising is called
editorial content,
editorial matter, or simply
editorial, although the last term is also used to refer specifically to those articles in which the newspaper and its guest writers express their opinions. In recent years, the
advertorial emerged. Advertorials are most commonly recognized as an
opposite-editorial which third-parties pay a fee to have included in the paper.
Advertorials commonly
advertise new products or techniques, such as a new design for golf equipment, a new form of laser surgery, or weight-loss drugs. The tone is usually closer to that of a
press release than of an objective
news story.
Publishers of commercial newspapers strive for higher circulation, so that advertising in their newspaper becomes more effective, allowing the newspaper to attract more advertisers and to charge more for the service. But some advertising sales also market demographics: some newspapers might sacrifice higher circulation numbers in favor of an audience with a higher income.
Many paid-for newspapers offer a variety of subscription plans. For example, someone might want only a Sunday paper, or perhaps only Sunday and Saturday, or maybe only a
workweek subscription, or perhaps a
daily subscription.
Some newspapers provide some or all of their content on the Internet, either at no cost or for a fee. In some cases, free access is available only for a matter of days or weeks, after which readers must register and provide personal data. In other cases, free archives are provided.
Advertising Since newspapers began as a journal (record of current events), the profession involved in the making of newspapers began to be called
journalism. Much emphasis has been placed upon the accuracy and fairness of the journalist — see
Ethics.
In the
yellow journalism era of the 19th century, many newspapers in the United States relied on sensational stories that were meant to anger or excite the public, rather than to inform. The more restrained style of reporting that relies on fact checking and accuracy regained popularity around
World War II.
Criticism of journalism is varied and sometimes vehement. Credibility is questioned because of anonymous sources; errors in facts, spelling, and
grammar; real or perceived
bias; and scandals involving
plagiarism and fabrication.
In the past, newspapers have often been owned by so-called
press barons, and were used either as a rich man's
toy, or a
political tool. More recently in the United States, a greater number of newspapers (and all of the largest ones) are being run by large media corporations such as
Gannett (the largest in the United States),
The McClatchy Company,
Cox,
LandMark,
Morris Corporation,
The Tribune Company,
Hollinger International,
News Corporation etc. Many industry watchers have concerns that the growing need for profit growth natural to corporations will have a negative impact on the overall quality of journalism.
There is no doubt, however, that newspapers have, in the modern world, played an important role in the exercise of freedom of expression. Whistle-blowers, and those who "leak" stories of corruption in political circles often choose to inform newspapers before other mediums of communication, relying on the perceived willingness of newspaper editors to expose the secrets and lies of those who would rather cover them. However, there have been many circumstances of the political autonomy of newspapers being curtailed.
Even though the opinions of the owners are often relegated to the
editorial section, and the opinions of other writers and readers are in the
op-ed ("opposite the editorial page") and
letters to the editors sections of the paper, newspapers have been used for political purposes by insinuating some kind of bias outside of the editorial section and into straight
news. For example,
The New York Times is often criticised for a perceived
leftist slant to its stories, or, by others, for supporting the American political establishment, whereas the opinion pages (but not the news pages) of the
The Wall Street Journal generally take
right-wing positions.
Some ways newspapers have tried to improve their credibility are: appointing
ombudsmen, developing ethics policies and training, using more stringent corrections policies, communicating their processes and rationale with readers, and asking sources to review articles after publication. Many larger newspapers are now using more aggressive random fact-checking to further improve the chances that false information will be found before it is printed.
Newspaper journalism 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 increases came in developing countries, notably China and India.
A report at the gathering indicated that 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 daily newspapers, which are not reflected in the above circulation data. Led by the
Metro chain of newspapers, they grew 16 percent in 2003.
Newspapers also face increased competition from internet sites such as
Craigslist for
classified ads, especially for jobs, real estate, and cars, the advertising of which has long been key sources of newspaper revenue. Also from online only newspapers. Already in the UK a newspaper called
Southport Reporter started out in 2000 and remains online as a recognized newspaper, but only published online and others now exist through out the world. This opens the debate as to "What is a newspaper". See
Online Newspapers.
However, many believe that the Internet can itself be used to newspapers' advantage. Again see
online Newspapers also
broadcast journalism.
Newspapers in different countries Above the fold Alternative weekly List of fictional newspapers Freedom of the press Free daily newspaper First News (Newspaper) Graphic design Gazette History of British newspapers History of American newspapers International Freedom of Expression Exchange Journalism List of journalism topics List of newspapers (by country)
List of online newspaper archives Magazine Mass media Muckraker Newseum News design Newspaper circulation Newspapers on demand Photojournalism Printing Propaganda model Student newspaper Underground press Weekly newspaper Yellow journalism World Association of Newspapers
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