Tickle the public, make them grin ... and win?

Today's online issue of The Guardian, a newspaper in London which is arguably the best English-language paper in the world, has a story on the decline of newspaper readership as it plays out in the U.K. In an interesting aside, the Guardian's Patrick Barkham quotes Stefano Hatfield, editor of a free newspaper in London that appeals to readers in the 18-34 demographic:

Newspaper chiefs are no longer so sure. Hatfield edited the Metro in New York. "Research suggests young people don't read newspapers for three reasons," he says. "One, they find them boring - they find the stories and design too dull. Two, the internet has taken away the newspaper imperative. And three, they are sick of left- and rightwing bias."

The free papers try to make up for that by making the news more entertaining, and by giving it away.

(Which he can do by selling ads.)

Barkham also says, "Tickle the public, make them grin, the more you tickle, the more you win."

A sure recipe for media success, or a recipe for disaster?

Read Barkham's story in full, and then media critic Jack Shafer's take on the future for newspapers that appeared a few months ago in MSN's online Slate magazine. His headline sums it up: "The Incredible Shrinking Newspaper: Newspapers are Aying, but the News is Thriving."

Then make up your own mind? What does the future hold for newspapers? How can they appeal to young adults? What are the opportunities for new media?