Surprise, Webheads: Newspaper Sales Are Up

Newspaper circulation is up worldwide despite slipping numbers in the US and Europe, the AP reports. Officials at a worldwide newspaper conference said today that India and China are leading the 2.6% increase, thanks to higher literacy, incomes, and more leisure time. "They say newspapers and print are dead," one official said. "Well, I just don't see it."

But circulation fell 3% in the US and 1.9% in Europe last year, after dropping 8% in the US for 5 years. Advertising has followed suit, rising in all regions except the US, while Internet ad sales have spiked by 32%. One news rep said his agency now posts quickie stories, written in the present tense, to serve the mind-set of web surfers like you. (More newspaper stories.)