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Report Details Dropping Circulation for Newspapers

NPR | By David Folkenflik
Published May 3, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

New figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) -- the equivalent of the Nielsen ratings for newspapers -- show that daily newspapers surveyed lost nearly 2 percent of their paid circulation compared to a year ago.

Sunday editions lost 2.5 percent: In the figures below from the ABC report, for example, only the New York Times and New York Daily News showed an increase.

Recent circulation inflation scandals at Newsday and the Dallas Morning News have made newspapers far more careful about discounts and other promotions used to lure readers. In addition, online readership is not currently counted in the circulation figures, which are used to determine crucial advertising rates.

Total Paid Circulation for Top American Newspapers (Sunday Edition)**

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

*<i>USA Today</i> figure is for Friday edition; <i>Wall Street Journal</i> figure is for the weekday edition. ** <i>Newsday</i> and the <i>Dallas Morning News</i> were among the top 20 papers last year, but have been excluded due to "ABC Board censure."
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*USA Today figure is for Friday edition; Wall Street Journal figure is for the weekday edition. ** Newsday and the Dallas Morning News were among the top 20 papers last year, but have been excluded due to "ABC Board censure."
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David Folkenflik
David Folkenflik was described by Geraldo Rivera of Fox News as "a really weak-kneed, backstabbing, sweaty-palmed reporter." Others have been kinder. The Columbia Journalism Review, for example, once gave him a "laurel" for reporting that immediately led the U.S. military to institute safety measures for journalists in Baghdad.
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