Who reads newspapers?

The Globe and Mail, July 3, 2012

What was it that Benjamin Disraeli is supposed to have said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."?

So this is aimed at convincing advertisers that they need to advertise newspapers to reach the, "80% of Canadians who read the newspaper every week".

But does it mean that those readers read a paper like The Globe and Mail? Or are they among the readers who pick up a free paper like Metro or 24. Or are they even reading a Canadian newspaper, or even a newspaper in English. And probably even more important, are they reading a newspaper on paper, or are they reading it on-line? And what are the statistics on the purchasing power of the 80% of Canadians who read a newspaper? If I was going to be convinced that a newspaper was a great place to advertise, I'd want an answer to these questions.

While newspaper readers are an important demographic, the fact that this advertisement appeared in today's newspaper tells a rather depressing tale about the future of newspapers. If there is enough spare space to put in ads like this, then there is probably not enough demand from advertisers for space in the paper.