Across the globe, many individuals believe the era of newspaper reading is over. When people sit around in cafes or at the table on a lazy Sunday morning, they no longer glance at columns, they instead power up their smartphones or laptops and check out the news on the Internet.

According to The Huffington Post, an International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulation study found that by December 2011, newspaper readership had fallen significantly in most major economies, a trend that has since continued. Of 23 nations surveyed, newspaper circulation fell in all but 3, which only showed gains in the thousands.

After all, why would they pay a few bucks every single day when they can check out the same articles online, usually for free?

The thing is, though, if online reporting trumps newspapers, many believe numerous individuals will be out of their jobs. Someone always has to report the goings on, whether that's online or in print, but manufacturers, paper companies, delivery drivers and others will have to hit the unemployment line.

In Canada, this seems to be happening more and more.

The Canadian Jewish News is no more
Workers at The Canadian Jewish News (CJN) recently found out that they're out of a job. According to The Globe and Mail, on April 22 an online note appeared on the CJN website stating that it would no longer be printed. The news source explained readers commented that by the time breaking news stories appeared on the tangible pages, they were already old, thanks to the television and Internet.

Though the pages had a Jewish article focus, The Globe and Mail reported that there are free alternatives online - TheTower.org and the Jewish Daily Forward, for example. Because the Internet is such an integral part of people's lives, it would make sense that they now get their updates immediately online.

Northern news junkies
Recent results from the Newspaper Audience Databank (NAD) indicated that the era of the newspaper is almost at an end, though it's not yet at the death rattle stage. The study, released earlier in 2013, revealed that as of 2012, 57 per cent of respondents only read printed editions of newspapers, while 11 per cent only depend on digital stories and 32 per cent do both.

NAD reported, however, that it's probably only a matter of time before the net takes over, especially because mobile readership is increasing. In 2010, only 2 per cent of those 18 and older who read the news online did so solely with their phones; that number skyrocketed to 18 per cent in 2012.