The slow fade of local newspapers took another hard turn Wednesday — as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of the oldest newspapers in the country with roots dating back to 1786, announced it will cease operations on May 3.
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NOW: The owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announcing today the newspaper will cease publication on Sunday, May 3rd.
This comes less than a week after the paper's owners, Block Communications, announced it was ceasing publication of the Pittsburgh City Paper. @WTAE pic.twitter.com/adspvffO9S
— Andrew Stockey (@astockeyWTAE) January 7, 2026
The decision ends nearly two and a half centuries of publication in western Pennsylvania.
In its own reporting, the Post-Gazette revealed that parent company Block Communications has lost more than $350 million in cash while operating the paper over the past 20 years. Ownership pointed to a recent court ruling requiring the company to honor a 2014 labor contract as the final blow.
The closure will leave Pittsburgh without its newspaper of record and put a number of well-known sportswriters out of work.
Among them is Gerry Dulac, who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers and golf for the paper since 1993 and remains one of the most respected voices on the beat. Ray Fittipaldo, who joined the paper in 1997, is also affected.
The sports department includes longtime columnist Joe Starkey, Pitt reporter Christopher Carter, editor Rob Joesbury, and reporters Jason Mackey and Noah Hiles, among others.
Even as the paper showed signs of decline by ending daily print publication in 2018 and later cutting back to two print editions per week, its sports section remained deep and well staffed. That was no accident. Pittsburgh is a sports town, and coverage of the Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Penguins helped keep readers engaged long after other sections thinned out.
Several writers reacted publicly to the news.
"Proud of the work we've done. Proud of what this place has meant and the people I and we have gotten to follow to try our best to uphold the tradition," Mackey wrote on X. "Don't care about your religion, politics or level of Pirates anger. This sucks."
Others were more blunt. The Post-Gazette's closure reflects a national trend that has hit mid-sized cities especially hard. The economics of print newspapers continue to erode, and many legacy brands have struggled to adapt in a digital-first landscape.
Proud of the work we've done. Proud of what this place has meant and the people I/we have gotten to follow to try our best to uphold the tradition. Don't care about your religion, politics or level of Pirates anger. This sucks: https://t.co/HEwwrbsiq6
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) January 7, 2026
Alan Saunders of Steelers Now summed up the mood.
"It gets harder and harder to remain optimistic about the future of this industry," Saunders wrote. "Unfathomable that Pittsburgh is losing its newspaper of record. My thoughts are with all my colleagues at the P-G and their families."
It gets harder and harder to remain optimistic about the future of this industry. Unfathomable that Pittsburgh is losing its newspaper of record.
My thoughts are with of all my colleagues at the P-G, who have always done great work, and their families.https://t.co/0UuAFcHYRd
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) January 7, 2026
