It is, as The Economist notes in a headline, a "strange survival."
The newspaper is getting smaller and thus leaner, delegating anything outside its core mandate to news services --- in effect, metropolitian newspapers are becoming city papers.
In certain countries, the paper is thriving. In emerging markets there has never been any kind of a crisis. Even in America, the dual revenue stream of advertising and subscription will help ease the transition to digital and ensure the newspaper keeps its afloat.
"That emphasis on giving readers what they want to read, as opposed to what lofty notions of civic responsibility suggest they ought to read, is part of a global trend. Newspapers are becoming more distinctive and customer-focused. Rather than trying to bring the world to as many readers as possible, they are carving out niches," it writes.
The newspaper's survival is by no means assured, The Economist concludes. Young people don't seem willing to pay for news.
"But the recession brought out an impressive and unexpected ability to adapt. If newspapers can keep that up in better times, they may be able to contemplate more than mere survival."