US newspapers, reeling from sagging print advertising revenue, dropping circulation and the migration of readers online, are fighting back.

In a full-page advertisement in 'The New York Times', 'The Washington Post' and other newspapers on Monday, a group called the "Newspaper Project" made the case that news on the printed page is not on the verge of extinction.

"More people will read a newspaper today than watched Monday's big game," the ad declared in a reference to Sunday's American football championship, the Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

"With 100 million daily readers, newspapers are a tremendous scoring opportunity," the group said in a message aimed at advertisers.

"We acknowledge the challenges facing the newspaper industry in today's rapidly changing media world," said Donna Barrett, a member of the Newspaper Project and Community Newspaper Holdings president and chief executive.

"However, we reject the notion that newspapers and the valuable content that newspaper journalists provide have no future," Barrett, who is also president of Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, said in a statement.

On its website, NewspaperProject.org said it was launched by a small group of newspaper executives "to support a constructive exchange of information and ideas about the future of newspapers."

"Unlike websites that feature negative, gloom-and-doom stories about newspapers, this website will be devoted to insightful articles, commentary and research that provide a more balanced perspective on what newspaper companies can do to survive and thrive in the years ahead," it said.