The strain of a poor economy has taken its toll on everything - gas prices, the cost of food and even the traditional source of news; the newspaper. Several papers are having to take tremendous cuts to try and bounce back, while others find the strains too unbearable and are forced to sell, or worse close outright.

Years ago, online was an afterthought. Stories that weren't "good enough" for print were posted online, and the newspaper was the traditional source of news coverage, but times have changed, and now print and online have changed roles.

The role that print and online play in reference to sources of news was a popular topic in a number of different sessions at the 2008 Online News Association Conference.

During lunch the keynote speaker Devin Wenig, CEO of the Markets Division of Thomson Reuters discussed changes in the industry.

"Online is faster and has a much faster turnaround," said Wenig. "Online news is in real time, people want news to be relevant and to the point."

Wenig went on to say that, "19 percent of people ages 18-35 actually admit to reading the newspaper daily."

Throughout the industry, print and online have been merged into a single newsroom. Could the merging of two powerful news media be harmful or would the merge help the already struggling print to bounce back and attract as many if not more readers as it did a decade ago?

"We have competed in print for years, and now we are competing online," said Patrick Cooper, network Ediotor of USA Today, who believes that the merging of USA Today online and print has made the organization stronger.

--Jevonya Hughes