Wednesday, April 01, 2009

USA Today Lost 100,000 'Subscribers' in Travel Downturn? Not Really ...

I have no quarrel with the USA Today newspaper except the phony way it has always counted up the number of papers it claims for its stated circulation of over 2 million.

I am not the only traveler who can claim that he or she has never actually purchased a copy. At least half of the shiny little paper's circulation has always been, in fact, distributed free to travelers in hotels, airport lounges and elsewhere on the road, and an unknown portion more is sold at great discount.

The Wall Street Journal today claims that in this big travel downturn, the paper has lost 100,000 "subscribers."

I don't want to sound like the cranky old newspaper warhorse that I am, but words do have meaning.

Not subscribers. Recipients.

[UPDATE: The lede of the day award goes to Ryan Tate at Gawker.com: "Craig Moon's retirement as USA Today's president was "largely unexpected within Gannett," the Wall Street Journal reports. Apparently Moon couldn't work for a paper that is having trouble giving away copies.]

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