U.S.. newspapers saw a slight decline in circulation over the past six months compared to the same time period last year, the Alliance for Audited Media reported. 

Total newspaper circulation decreased by 0.7 percent for the six month period, which ended on March 31. AAM releases reports every six months and is considered the industry standard for measuring readership. 

The Wall Street Journal had the highest circulation in the country with an average daily circulation of 2,322,429, a 12.3 percent increase from the same period last year. 

The New York Times overtook USA TODAY as the second-most circulated newspaper, although both newspapers suffered declines in circulation The Los Angeles Times and New York Daily News rounded out the top five. 

Neal Lulofs, an executive vice president for AAM, said some newspapers showed growth because they added more variety to their digital editions. For example, The Wall Street Journal's digital circulation increased by 62.6 percent in March 2013 from March 2012. 

AAM pointed out that the variety of ways newspapers distribute their content makes "direct paper-to-paper comparisons unreliable."