News

The ³Get the Facts About Newspapers² campaign from the World Association of

Newspapers has released its third advertisement for use by publications

around the world to help counter the negative myths and misinformation about

the industry.



The advertisement, part of a global initiative organised by WAN, can be

viewed and downloaded in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian from

http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique879.html



The new advertisement carries the slogan, ³We¹ve done the search. You only

have to turn the pages² and reads:



³Newspapers represent an industry that connects with 1.6 billion people of

all ages, all creeds and all races each and every day.



³We produce strongly branded products of different shapes and sizes, of

varying quality, of different political hues, and deliver those products in

various guises. Global sales of paid-for newspapers are growing (up nearly

10 percent over the last five years), our $190 billion industry is expected

to grow its advertising by 17 percent over the next five-years, or at a

faster rate than the preceding five years.



³Print is the world's largest advertising medium (with a 42 percent share),

and advertising revenues in newspapers alone exceed the combined total of

radio, outdoor, cinema, magazines and, yes, the internet. ³



The two previous advertisements are also available for use by newspapers

wishing to join this global advertising initiative.



One takes advantage of one of newspaper advertising's inherent strengths --

the power of persuasion -- and offers a compelling argument about why print

is here to stay. The ad is entitled, "The Good News -- guess who gets 1.6

billion hits a day?"



The other advertisement, which pokes a little fun at the doomsayers, quotes

some of the funniest and silliest things ever said by public figures --

leading to the infamous "newspapers are now an endangered species" quoted by

The Economist last year.



Hundreds of newspapers have already joined the campaign. WAN is inviting

newspaper companies world-wide to join the initiative to promote the power

of the newspaper and to rectify some of the absurd and damaging claims

being made about its imminent demise. Full details are available at

http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique879.html



The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry,

defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business

interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its

membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies

and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and

11 regional and world-wide press groups.



Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy

St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49

48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr