The Mail & Guardian is celebrating after enjoying a steady increase in circulation despite the overall downward trend in print industry.
The latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) shows that single copy sales for weekly newspapers dropped by 24 894 copies or 3.8% in the past year. Total circulation among weekly papers also dropped by the same percentage.
But the Mail & Guardian‘s single copy sales have increased by just over 2% since last year. The paper’s circulation has exceeded 50 000 copies and it is read by 383 000 people each week.
M&G editor-in-chief Nic Dawes said the reason for the paper’s growth was simple: “The appetite for relevant, credible news is stronger than ever, and that is what we aim to deliver. I think readers can see that, and they respond to it.”
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Gordon Patterson, vice president of the ABC, said the increase in the M&G’s circulation was “remarkable”.
“[The M&G] is growing and doing it sensibly, through single copy sales, where it matters,” he said.
He added that the newspaper’s reputation for quality journalism had shielded it from the downturn in the market. “A good product is more insulated from economic pressures than a poor product. It becomes the last thing that you sacrifice rather than the first thing,” he said.