Finally, Some Good News About the News Business

"From a marketing point of view... you don't introduce new products in August," former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card is (in-)famous for saying in 2002 as the White House made its case for the invasion of Iraq. It's true that August is an historically slow month for businesses, especially the news business (cf: Season, Silly), which makes this week an odd time for two organizations to roll out something their industry desperately needs: Good news.

This week, Editor & Publisher released its ninth 10 That Do It Right survey, which honors newspapers that have not only survived in the current, scorched-earth climate, but have thrived. After acknowledging some difficulty compiling this year's list ("Are there even five newspapers that can claim with a straight face that they do it 'right' these days?"), E&P offers some kudos to the Las Vegas Sun, which makes the best of its current home tucked inside joint-operating-agreement partner The Las Vegas-Review Journal (including a 2009 Pulitzer prize for Alexandra Berzon for Public Service Journalism). Also cited: the Minneapolis Start Tribune for its (in E& P's words) "crowd-deputizing" of readers to examine the disputed Al Franken-Norm Coleman election, and the Cincinnati Enquirer, which increased its circulation.

Looking toward the glossier end of the newsstand, Newsweek's Johnnie L. Roberts checks out several magazines actually doing well as others around them fold. The Week, OK!, and Organic Gardening among others are cited for growth in ad pages.

Growth! Maybe it's a good time to launch a magazine—even if this is the summer of our dissed content. (You hear that, Andy Card!?) This month brings Afar, a glossy dedicated to exotic travel published out of San Francisco. Yesterday's New York Post called the first issue "just what the doctor ordered to get us interested in traveling again" and founder Greg Sullivan told AOL Daily Finance's Jeff Bercovici "It's tough to start up in this kind of environment, but it's also kind of positive."

Hurray! We're all saved! Oh, hold on, I have a call from McKinsey on line two...