# The post-newspaper world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 28, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668 "2011-12-28T21:41:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668/41 "2012-01-15T21:24:18Z")
[quote=“Lust4Life, post:40, topic:607668”] > [@Spud](#): > > Let me help you out a bit then… the literacy rate in the U.K. and the U.S. is 99.0. > > The only stats I could find (with a thorough 5 second Google search) shows a steady and drastic decline in the rate of illiterates in the US from 1870 to 1979. > > Why again do you think the literacy rate has fallen lately? > > Both my sister and her husband have been in the newspaper business for over 30 years. They are constantly being given “unpaid breaks” and they are the lucky ones who haven’t been let go. She is lucky since she does the educational beat… he is a graphic artist and ads are way down (i.e. the money source for the paper). > > I’m an old fart at 50 and only read a “paper” when I’m staying at a hotel that gives them away. I get all my news on-line or on the TV. My sister pointed out an interesting thing… 20 years ago for most people in suburbia and rural areas everyone had a mailbox and a separate little box for the newspaper. Look around today and they are few and far between. > You are obviously joking with me. > > No, no you really are . > > I expect that I’ll get back to you. Report to Mods . something wrong here, not the posters, but a very unusual mixing of posts. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668/42 "2012-01-15T21:37:35Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Ah so in defiance of all precedance in debates generally, I’m required by someone who hasn’t actually made any contribution to this thread, to prove a negative. > > Sorry, but when you get to understand debating a little bit better, (And I realise that for some this may take a bit longer then the rest of us, maybe a lot longer for one or two individuals ), you’ll realise that this isn’t down to the denier, but up to the asserter. > > Anyway, good luck, I’m sure that you’ll get there in the end, no matter how long it takes. So, that’s a no then. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668/43 "2012-01-15T21:38:37Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Report to Mods . > something wrong here, not the posters, but a very unusual mixing of posts. You forgot to close the quote of **Spud** when you quoted his post. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668/44 "2012-01-16T02:00:17Z")
I am the editor of a small weekly newspaper. I have a staff of three, plus myself. I write three to five stories per week, plus supervise other content and do strategic planning, etc. I have a full time news reporter, a full time sports reporter and a full time layout/design person. We are not making millions, but we are surviving for a number of reasons. First of all, in our small sphere of influence, the advertisers are also readers. They recognize that we are reporting with credibility and fairness, and that the paper is source of interest for their customers. Our paper is free to readers (supported by advertising), and we have people call to complain if it doesn’t arrive. Second, it is the only source of local news. Reporting on local government, schools, major news events, local sports…none of which are available anywhere else. We do have an online presence, but the website is only updated after the paper has been available for a couple of days. We survive by being a valued and respected news source that provides exclusive product that people want. That is the only formula of survival for small newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668/45 "2012-01-24T14:55:05Z")
Five years seems to be on target for most newspapers to be gone. I remember many predicting ten years they’d be gone which was about five years ago. In my small city of 100,000 population, when I worked at the paper 22 years ago we had a Sunday circulation of 53,500. Now it’s down to 23,000 or so, and my brother who still works there says they have been losing 300 subscribers every month for a few years now. He hopes to retire this year, but is worried he may not even make it out. What keeps them going, isn’t just the paper, but printing for all the various small papers for local communities, and doing lots of other advertising with inserts and various printing projects. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-post-newspaper-world/607668.md?page=2)