Newspapers throughout country have trouble attracting young readers, but The Wall Street Journal has a special problem. Some young people perceive the Journal, as one editor put it, as "a newspaper written for yuppie millionaires."

This September the Journal is launching The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition, the most ambitious attempt yet to reach the next generation. The twenty-four-page monthly, unlike its parent, will be tabloid size, with color and large graphics. Its editorial content, however, will be made up almost entirely of articles straight from the pages of the Journal, a strategy that may not always set the youth of America abuzz.

Take, for example, these sentences found in the prototype issue:

* "Treasury bonds are a good place to invest now," says . . . a hedge-fund manager in Dallas, who adds that interest rates "will plummet" as "safe-haven money pours into the dollar."

* Dow Jones's market-weighted index of aerospace and defense stocks surged about 2.3% on the Monday after the [Scud missile] attack, while profit taking sapped the rest of the market.

Such prose seems to be aimed right at the sons of yuppie millionaires. Aren't they already reading The Wall Street Journal?

A number of other newspapers are trying to reach out to young readers. Here's a sampling, complete with one youth's evaluation.

Akron Beacon Journal: "YO! Kids"

D+

Appearing in the Akron Beacon Journal's entertainment and life-style section since April, YO! Kids makes no pretense at covering new. It features a Bits 'N' Pieces department, with two-inch stories on topics ranging from Whitney Houston to college aid. For readers with longer attention spans, the page generally offers an article on celebrities, music, and fashion ("Two-piece swimsuits are in for gals. But these days, manufacturers are taking pains to use bustier tops, underwire bras, and other devices to accommodate less-than-perfect-figures.")

YO! Kids needs a makeover.

Detroit Free Press: "News For Young Readers"

B

Only eight inches long, the News For Young Readers column has been answering youngsters' questions on virtually any topic since it started in January. It's simple, concise, and a worthwhile read for people who want straightforward answers to straightforward questions, such as these recent samples:

* When will the people of Kuwait and Iraq be able to go out of their houses in spite of all the pollution?

* How come the Detroit Pistons do not have a cheerleading team?

* How did the Turtles get to be so popular?

Reporters answer the questions deftly, in a clear, uncomplicated manner. The column has caught on with youngsters -- and with people not so young. Maybe its name should be changed?

Newsday: "Student Briefing Page On The News" A -

Newsday's Student Briefing Page, which made its debut in February, is highly interactive and highly interesting. "The premise is that once a reader can viscerally respond to something on a page, the information is theirs," says Bill Zimmerman, its editor. The main parts of the page are a column that gives a historical perspective on a development or issue in the news, a feature on some person in the news, and a third section that often encourages readers to write letters -- "Imagine you had Iraqi pen pals. What would you write to them?" -- or draw pictures on that day's theme. Some of these efforts are later published.

In recent days the page has tackled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the U.S. Census report and what it reveals about the nation, and the history of the Soviet Union's current crisis. They only time the page seems to miss the mark is when its "Challenger" quiz is too challenging. Should high school students really be expected to identify the republics of Yugoslavia?

Syracuse Herald-Journal: hj A -

The Syracuse Herald-Journal's magazine hj bills itself as "Something Else," and since its debut in October 1989 each issue has indeed been offering teenagers one substantial story not likely to be found elsewhere. In the center of the twelve-page publication is "The Big Story," a feature that addresses difficult issues facing teenagers today. The big Story has recently examined what it's like to be a gay teenager, the stereotypes that members of various racial minorities must cope with, and the lives of high school dropouts.

Quotes from teenagers in The Big Story are eye-opening and honest. For example:

* I live on the North Side, and if something happens in my neighborhood, if something gets stolen, I;m the first person they accuse because I'm black.

* I think if I had stayed in school I wouldn't have had to live in a U-haul truck for a summer. I don't think I did so well.

Unfortunately, there's not too much surrounding The Big Story, aside from some interesting student-written music and movie reviews. The Big Story, however, is solid enough to sustain the publication.

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