<P> Critics of the newspaper as a medium also argue that while today's newspapers may appear visually different from their predecessors a century ago, in many respects they have changed little and have failed to keep pace with changes in society . The technology revolution has meant that readers accustomed to waiting for a daily newspaper can now receive up - to - the - minute updates from Web portals, bloggers and new services such as Twitter . The expanding reach of broadband Internet access means such updates have become commonplace for many users, especially the more affluent, an audience cultivated by advertisers . </P> <P> The gloomy outlook is not universal . In some countries, such as India, the newspaper remains more popular than Internet and broadcast media . Even where the problems are felt most keenly, in North America and Europe, there have been recent success stories, such as the dramatic rise of free daily newspapers, like those of Sweden's Metro International, as well as papers targeted towards the Hispanic market, local weekly shoppers, and so - called hyperlocal news . </P> <P> But these new revenue streams, such as that from newspapers' proprietary Web sites, are often a fraction of the sums generated by the previous advertisement - and circulation - driven revenue streams, and so newspapers have been forced to curtail their overhead while simultaneously trying to entice new users . With revenues plummeting, many newspapers have slashed news bureaus and journalists, while still attempting to publish compelling content--much of it more interactive, more lifestyle - driven and more celebrity - conscious . </P> <P> In response to falling ad revenues and plunging circulation, many newspapers have cut staff as well as editorial content, and in a vicious cycle, those cuts often spur more and deeper circulation declines--triggering more loss of ad revenues . "No industry can cut its way to future success," says industry analyst John Morton . "At some point the business must improve ." </P>

When did the newspaper industry start to decline