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The article discusses the challenges facing the newspaper and publishing sector in the U.S. It explores the shared sacrifice concept observed by the industry under which the paper, printing and publishing sectors seek to be lean and stealthy while working with one another to manage paper costs. Factors of concern to paper manufacturers are given such as rising energy costs and the scarcity of old newspapers (ONP). Empathy is cited as a strategy for publishers and newsprint suppliers to take.

This article discusses the events leading to what would transform life at The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper from the merely disheartening into the profoundly terrifying. It began to unfold shortly after 3 o'clock on the afternoon of last November 1 when Sandra Long, a deputy managing editor, appeared outside the glass wall of managing editor Anne Gordon's office waving a small piece of paper. Gordon returned a few minutes later and said, without obvious concern or alarm, that the largest holder of stock in the Inquirer's corporate parent, Knight Ridder, was demanding that the company be sold in order to boost the stock's sagging value.

The article features Doug Ray, president and CEO of the Daily Herald. Ray is Editor & Publisher's Newspaper Publisher of the Year for all he has done in bringing the Daily Herald into the big leagues. Ray says, "We want to be the primary source of news and information in our market, not the secondary source." So the paper does nearly everything its big-city competitors do, from covering pro sports both home and away, to maintaining a bureau in the state capital and featuring a full-time movie critic and general columnist.

This article compares and contrasts Conrad Black, who resigned as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hollinger International, and Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp. "The deferences and preferments that this culture bestows upon the owners of great newspapers are satisfying." So confided Mr. Black, later ennobled as Lord Black of Crossharbour, to his first editor of the "Daily Telegraph," Max Hastings. The excitement over the fate of Lord Black's British newspapers has little do with their slight commercial importance and everything to do with the assumption that the proprietors of newspapers wield great power. The unrelenting Europhobia of the papers owned by Lord Black, Rupert Murdoch and Lord Rothermere is also one of the main reasons for British Prime Minister Tony Blair's reluctance even to consider holding a referendum on the European Union's new constitution. Just a few days before Lord Black's bombshell, Mr. Murdoch had some fun teasing the government with the possibility that his papers -- the "Sun," the "News of the World," the "Times" and the "Sunday Times" -- might switch their support back to the Conservatives at the next election. The attrition caused by the decade-long price war initiated by Mr. Murdoch has taken its toll, as has Lord Black's unwillingness to appoint editors or espouse policies likely to attract younger readers.

Discusses the outbreak of newspaper wars as of November 1998. Mention of the launch of a national paper by Conrad Black and the following hostile takeover for the `The Toronto Sun' empire by the paper; Mention of several publishers, including John Honderich of `The Star.'

Five months ago Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay shocked rivals by agreeing to pay Lord Conrad Black $465 million for his stake in Hollinger Inc, a holding company that owns 30% of the shares and 72% of the voting rights of Hollinger International, which owns Britain's "Daily Telegraph". Now, ironically, only Black himself can prevent the Barclays from buying the paper. At stake is how much cash Black walks away with. Under the new deal, the Barclays' money will go first to Hollinger International, which is expected to pass on a good deal of it to shareholders. As the firm is suing Black and his associates for $1.25 billion on racketeering charges, it may try to withhold his share of the cash. So Black is likely to try to block the deal--or at least use that threat to extract some money. For the Barclays, a pressing task will be to negotiate with Richard Desmond, half-owner of the Daily Telegraph's main printing plant outside London. He has the right to buy the other half from the newspaper if it changes hands. Another decision will be whether to launch a tabloid edition.