Last month, the Audit Bureau of Circulation reported a 10 percent decline in newspaper readers, a staggering number for the struggling industry. But the reality of the situation could prove more dire, as newly released details about the study hint towards overestimation in their results. The AP reports:

Since April 1, new auditing rules have made it easier for newspapers to count a reader as a paying customer…

Under the new auditing standards, if a newspaper sells a “bundled” subscription to both the print and electronic editions, the publication is often allowed to count that subscriber twice.

If not for these rules, the industry’s numbers would look even worse. Average weekday circulation at 379 U.S. newspapers fell 10.6 percent during the six months ending in September. That was the steepest decline ever recorded by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Some newspapers embraced the idea of including their online base in the circulation numbers, including the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Steve Coffeen, the Review-Journal’s circulation director, said it makes sense to count the bundled subscriptions twice, as well as other people buying the electronic edition at a sharp discount, because it provides a complete picture of the newspaper’s paying audience.

On the other hand, there are some in the industry, who are moving in the opposite direction. Michael Calderone of Politico discusses D.C.’s most recent newsroom cuts:

The Washington Post has cut several positions, primarily on the web side, sources tell POLITICO.

I’ve heard there may have been about 10-12 staffers cut, but it’s unclear exactly how many at this time. Sources have told me that Travis Fox and Pierre Kattar — both award-winning multimedia journalists — were among those let go.