MediaPost is reporting that newspaper site audiences are growing faster than the overall Internet audience at large.

In a Newspaper Association of America-commissioned study, Nielsen//NetRatings found that 59 million people read the sites on a monthly basis, a 5.3 percent growth compared to last year, while overall Internet audience growth was 2.7 percent.

The study doesn't mention mobile News sites. But the implications are clear; even as newspaper print sales and revenues fall, it's vital that newsrooms continue to hire top editorial talent and move toward all forms of digital distribution, including cellphones.

(The above graphic links to mobile.washingtonpost.com, the mobile site for The Washington Post)

Newspaper Sites Growing Faster Than Web Overall [MediaPost]