In a blog post, Al Neuharth, founding editor of the leading US daily USA Today, reassures newspaper editors and publishers: 225 years after the first daily newspaper was published in the US, the newspaper is still a robust news medium (see a recent study) - despite current struggles in the newsroom.

A lot of doom and gloom reports about the newspaper industry have come from newspapers themselves.

"Sure, the slumping economy has made times a little tough for them. But most still have profit margins well above most other businesses," wrote Neuharth.

There are still a whopping 1,422 dailies and 6,253 being published in the US, and USA Today's circulation is at about 2,28 million copies daily, increasing every year in its 25-year history.

The Wall Street Journal is second, with just over 2 million copies.  (Neuharth noted: "Under new owner/boss Rupert Murdoch, it's the most improved newspaper in the country and likely to show significant sharp future increases.")

The transition to the digital age isn't easy, but newspapers are embracing it. Said Neuharth:

"Importantly, newspaper owners and editors have embraced the Internet and now are 24/7 providers of news, information, entertainment and advertising. The hunger for all that is greater than ever in history. That's why newspaper-oriented media companies have a bright future."

Source: USA Today Blogs through I Want Media