Newspaper Political Endorsements Lose Their Clout

Fewer than 30 percent of Americans still read the things

ST. PETERSBURG —  In the last days before election time, the media narrative inevitably falls on tracking quick shifts in public sentiment or mood that may swing the general election, chiefly through public opinion polls and newspaper endorsements.

Polls are reprinted almost daily, leaving plenty of interpretation from the pundits and analysts alike who will attempt to decipher the latest findings.