The Newspaper Association of America, the most powerful newspaper publisher group in the country, spent a whopping $440,000 lobbying the federal government in the last quarter of 2009, according to Business Week.

The business magazine reports: “The group, which represents nearly 2,000 newspapers in the U.S., lobbied the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Postal Service and Department of Justice.”

It also stated: “In a Congressional disclosure form it listed several broad issues that it sought to sway lawmakers on, including digital media, privacy, postal rates and the future of journalism. It also listed the Free Flow of Information Act.”

Meanwhile, newspapers remain stuck in falling ad revenue and circulation. Maybe NAA should concentrate on those issues.