The first article in this research report draws upon material presented at four American Newspaper Publishers Association-Bureau of the Census workshops. The report describes how the 1980 United States Census data can be applied by newspapers to localize national trends, to serve as a background for local news stories, to monitor changes in the audience, and to make strategic plans for circulation, advertising, and promotion. The second article concerns the use of newspaper political commentary by students at two universities in California through their undergraduate years. The study reports that one-fifth of the students selected newspapers as their first choice for political commentary and that these students were more politically active and more conservative in their attitudes than were students who primarily depended on other media for political information. (MKM)