Sure, they dabble in entertainment. Most so-called sports news, for example, is entertainment. And they run tons of advertising and want more. The Web is clearly where most college students get their news today. The reason for newspaper dominance in Web journalism, says Stovall, is that they have the biggest investment in news.
Newspapers are in their fourth decade of relative circulation and ad revenue decline.
No, the newspaper industry does not sell fewer newspapers or fewer inches of advertising than it did in the '60s. But proportionate to the population and to advertising carried in all media, newspapers' numbers are down. Yes, the educators say, but there will still be enough business for all mainline media to remain strong. But there is a difference in the era of the Web. However, since news and advertising are not the core businesses of these companies, old media are likely to remain the dominant force in new media journalism, according to Mullins and Stovall.