What Newspapers Are Doing to Compete

The Hartford Courant takes a look at the current difficulties facing newspapers -- and how they are addressing the problem both on and off-line.

These are tough times for the printed word. As newspapers grapple with their collective identity crisis, they're also navigating some stark industry conditions - what some news veterans call the worst in memory.

Advertising dollars are being siphoned off by the Internet, niche publications and television. Circulation for most papers continues to erode. In May, the Newspaper Association of America announced that circulation at the largest daily papers dropped 1.9 percent in a six-month period ending in March. If that trend continues, that would be a 4 percent drop in readers per year.