I have heard that freshly-opened newspapers are fairly sterile (at least of extreme nasties), and newborn babies have been wrapped in them when no blanket was available.
And that leads me to think they would make good emergency cold-weather protection for small children, even if it's just full pages with holes in the center, wrapped at the waist with a vine or cord. A hood or helmet could probably be formed, too -- maybe a whole-head wrap with just an opening for eyes.
I just tried the straw and it didn't work. It absorbed too much moisture at once and collapsed. Then I tried half a sheet of printer paper, and it didn't work very well, either. Pity.
If you manage to catch something that has any fat on it at all, try to trap any grease on the newspaper and hoard it for firestarting.