The "Newsroom Barometer," conducted by Zogby International for the Paris-based World Editors Forum and Reuters, found that 85 percent of editors are very optimistic or somewhat optimistic about the future of their newspapers. The survey found that 40 percent of editors believe online will be the most common way to read the news ten years from now, 35 percent believe print will reign supreme, two-thirds believe opinion and analysis pages will grow in importance, half are convinced that the quality of journalism will improve and half believe shareholders and advertisers present threats to editorial independence.

The survey of 435 editors-in-chief, deputy editors and other senior news executives from around the world, and of whom half are from Europe, provides a picture of an industry in transition, but one that is rapidly adapting to the new media environment. The results of the Newsroom Barometer survey are contained in Trends in Newsrooms 2007, the annual WEF report on the latest editorial developments from around the world (http://www.trends-in-newsrooms.org ). The Newsroom Barometer, a partnership among WEF, Zogby and Reuters, will be conducted annually to assess changes in attitudes and strategies in newsrooms around the world.

- WAN Press release; March 27, 2007