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The article reports on the declining fortunes of the newspapers of New Jersey as part of a retrenchment in newspaper publishing throughout the U.S. in 2016. It mentions that the performance of the industry have been felt acutely because of the role of New Jersey newspapers in holding powerful people and institutions accountable in a state which lacks a major independent television station.

Friday morning was a glorious one in suburban New Jersey. At 6 a.m., the heat of the morning leaked in through the window, accompanied by the huge racket of cicadas thrumming in unison. It was the kind of morning where someone might be tempted to just lie there pretending to sleep, but then another sound came: the thwack of fresh, hot newspaper hitting the sidewalk. The Star-Ledger delivery guy hits our block early, before the other newspapers arrive, usually dropping a hefty package jammed with localism writ large: wise-guy arias, street crime novellas and big investigations into the issues facing northern New Jersey. Under the sure hand of its editor, Jim Willse, The Star-Ledger is both modern -- big and pretty with strong photos, navigation and graphics -- and a throwback to the days when the most important story was the one just down the block. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]