• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 13, 2007

Newspapers are getting a black eye. Only 39% of American adults read a newspaper on a daily basis, according to a new survey from Harris.

Despite our much-touted information age, a majority of respondents cite a lack of time and the relative ease of getting information online as the main reasons they don't read the paper. The number represents a significant drop from 2000, when 54% of adults said they read a newspaper regularly during the week.

But what may be good news for newspapers' online sites--the Harris poll has 56% of adults going online for news and information at least once a day.

Both newspapers and online still lag behind networks newscasts as the most popular source of news. Twenty-five percent of Harris respondents in America ranked TV network news first, followed by 18% for online news, 14% for cable network news and just 12% each for radio and newspapers.

However, newspapers are still part of the equation, notes Harris. Respondents were asked what their favorite sources of news and information will be five years from now. While network news drops to 22%, overtaken by online news at 26%, newspapers experienced a relatively smaller drop, with 10% of respondents saying they would be their main news source.