A WEEK WITHOUT NEWSPAPER WEBSITES

That's what is being suggested by U.S. blogger TJ Sullivan in an attempt to highlight the plight of newspapers. His suggestion is that all U.S. newspapers pull the plug on their free websites for one week in July.
It might seem radical to some but Sullivan explains: "It's time to admit that, regardless of how many readers may be clicking through newspaper content for free on the Internet, newspapers don't matter to those readers ... there's no compelling reason for them to stop and think about what would happen if the newspapers providing all that news ceased to exist. A move like this puts the crisis where it ought to be, front and center at the top of every newscast. It makes it impossible for anyone to deny where the majority of news content comes from, and why it matters."
I agree with Sullivan. While Sullivan's piece is aimed at the American market a week without access to news websites would force some people to buy the newspaper (or magazines). At the very least it would raise awareness of the precarious state of the print media industry.
Sullivan adds: "Not that there's anything wrong with public affairs blogs, aggregate news sites, or any other online entity that makes use of newspaper reports. The point of pulling the plug for one week isn't to harm them, but to emphasize the origin of all that news content, and why everyone should care about protecting that source."
You can read Sullivan's post here but the supporting petition can only be signed by residents of the United States.