Vienna, Va. – Both the overall number and percentage of Internet users visiting newspaper Web sites hit all-time highs in September, according to a new report by Nielsen//NetRatings for the Newspaper Association of America. The data, which takes into account home and work Internet usage, shows that over 47.3 million people visited newspaper Web sites in September, the most in any month since NAA began tracking online usage in January 2004. That represents almost a third (31.9 percent) of all Internet users, and is up 15.8 percent from 40.9 million for the same period last year. While the report does not track traffic to specific online content, the spike was most likely bolstered by the high level of interest in coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “Newspapers are continuing to attract readers whether they’re reading the traditional printed newspaper, a newspaper Web site, a free daily paper or another newspaper niche product,” said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. “Not only is the overall audience growing for newspaper Web sites, but NAA studies have shown that they are often the leading local news sites in their markets. It’s clear that newspapers’ longstanding position of trust as part of the communities they serve has only strengthened, not weakened, in the Internet era.” For the year’s third quarter, the monthly unique audience averaged over 41.5 million, or 27.7 percent of all Web users. The time Internet users spend on newspaper sites also continues to rise as users’ visits averaged more than 38 minutes during the quarter. To see data for previous quarters, go to www.naa.org/thesource/23.asp.