A glimmer of sunshine for the newspaper industry, or a validation of its worst practices? Newspaper giant Gannett’s stock was upgraded to “buy” from “hold” by an equity research firm. The rating change didn’t come out of any great zeal for Web 2.0 innovation (see: the website for the Arizona Republic, its second-biggest paper), but because of Gannett’s notorious — but apparently successful — cost-cutting measures. In July, Gannett confirmed the firings of more than 1,400 employees.

As front-page newspaper advertisements have gained popularity among cash-strapped papers, they’ve brought in a lot of money, but they pose the question of whether light-hearted ads belong next to hard news. Case-in-point: one daily advertised wine and spirits with a rabbit surrounded by balloons the day after the Fort Hood shootings.