What does the future hold for newspapers? It all depends on what you think a newspaper is and where on the planet you are standing. If you are a literal-minded type who considers the concept inseparable from actual newsprint and your view is restricted to, say, North America or Japan or Australia or parts of Europe, where daily newspaper circulation has been edging downward, the future may look a bit gloomy.

If, however, you agree with Timothy Balding, head of the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers (WAN), first, that "newspaper" is a thoroughly elastic term and, second, that the only proper view is a global one, then things look a lot brighter. As Mr. Balding said cheerily last week during the latest World Newspaper Congress in Moscow, "Overall, the audience for newspapers keeps on growing, both in print and online. Newspapers are increasing their reach through the exploitation of a wide range of new distribution channels, ranging from free daily newspapers to online editions."

Both in print and online? Well, that's one way of silencing the doom-and-gloom folks who keep fretting about the shift of readers and advertisers to the Internet. You just include the Internet in your definition of a newspaper, and instantly the industry outlook brightens.