Other than the bad pay, here is another reason why I left journalism. The AP reports that U.S. newspaper circulation is down 8.7 percent from a year ago. Sunday circulation was down too, almost 7 percent. In layman’s terms, this means people are reading the newspaper less in hard copy format.

The story also details the even steeper declines in circulation among the top 25 newspapers nationally. Shockingly, John Sturm, the Newspaper Association of America President said the figures did not offer a complete picture of the industry’s health. Huh? Why is it that newspaper apologists cannot fess up to the truth that their format is the problem, not their profession? No one is questioning the need for trenchant reporting – they just don’t want it rolled up in a rubber band on their doorstop like a papyrus scroll. This predilection is exactly why Apple is sold out of iPads and Rupert Murdock is trying to make a go of it by selling journalism from his Wall Street Journal through online subscriptions.

The newspaper industry is in as much denial about their viability as the American auto industry. Sad but true.

Eric Bovim, is Co-founder and CEO of Gibraltar Associates, one of the nation’s top communications firms. Connect with him @Bovim.