Weekday circulation at U.S. daily newspapers fell 2.1 percent and Sunday newspapers’ circulations fell 3.1 percent in the six months ended March 31, a sign that people increasingly are turning to the Internet and other media for news, reported the Associated Press.

These figures are slightly better than the 2.8 percent drop in the six-month period ended in October and the 2.5 percent decline in the period ended March 2006. These figures are based on reports that newspapers provide the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Among the 10 largest newspapers, several had declines of 2 to 4 percent and a few had gains. Gannett Co. Inc.’s USA Today, the largest daily in the United States, increased circulation 0.2 percent compared with the same period a year ago. The Wall Street Journal’s circulation was up 0.6 percent. Davenport-based Lee Enterprises Inc. announced that paid daily circulation for 31 of its 53 audited newspapers was up for the six-month period, while circulation for all its papers held steady at 1.7 million daily and 1.9 million Sunday.

The Newspaper Association of America pointed out that recently released data from Nielsen/NetRatings showed a 5.3 percent increase in the number of people who visited newspaper Web sites in the first quarter of 2007.