Newspaper readership in America took a plunge in the last six months, according to information released last week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Newpaper reports of the bureau's analysis said daily circulation of American newspapers dropped 2.5 percent and Sunday circulation fell 3.1 percent.
Later that week, the Associated Press reported that the number of new books published dropped last year for the first time since 1999. About 172,000 books were published, approximately 18,000 fewer than in 2004.
In the legislative arena, newspaper articles and policy research are still important tools. However, those articles and research are more likely to be accessed via the Internet than in their printed versions. The New York Times reported that traffic to newspaper Web sites was up 8 percent in the first quarter of this year, while the decline in newspaper circulation was the steepest six-month decline in the last 15 years.
The trend is expected to continue. This is just another reminder that legislatures' communication strategies need to be constantly evaluated and adjusted to meet America's changing media habits.
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