Newspaper web site visits surge in the U.S.

The paradox of popularity continues with newspaper web sites struggling with making money, all the while increasing in the number of visitors, according to figures released by the Newspaper National Network in the U.S.

A story in MediaDailyNews recounts that in the top 25 media markets newspapers reached 83.7 million unique visitors in April, up 15% from January. They represented more than 2 billion page views, up 24% from January. Newspaper web sites posted bigger percentage growth than competitors such as CNN.com and Huffington Post.

Data from separate research by Nielsen seems to confirm the growth and reports that newspapers in the first quarter represented 37% of all U.S. internet users.