If the Web is launching an assault on newspapers, former Knight-Ridder Digital president Tom Mohr thinks the newspaper industry has to fight back by joining forces. If you're in the newspaper business or simply interested in how the industry can survive/thrive the Web's growing popularity, his lengthy "Manifesto" (aka Switzerland Inc.) is a must-read. Ceding the fact newspapers will not be online innovators, Mohr believes newspapers will survive through strong leadership and alliances with online vertical partners. "Newspaper industry leaders are frogs in a pot. The water’s starting to boil, and it’s time to jump," he said. "Only 19 percent of 18-34 year olds read a daily newspaper; 44 percent of them go to a Web news portal. Broadband penetration has reached 57%. The blogosphere is doubling every 5 ½ months. Search provides instant access to the world’s information. User-generated content has turned the authority model of institutional media on its head. Peer-to-peer networks, tag clouds and reputation engines are fundamentally changing how people engage with content and communications."
   For more thoughts on Mohr's thesis, check out John Battelle and blackrimglasses.com. Two other essential reads for newspaper fans/executives is the Bivings Report, which outlines nine things newspapers must implement, and a cover story in The Economist titled "Who Killed the Newspaper?"