The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of the nation’s oldest continuously published newspapers, will cease operations this spring, its owner announced Wednesday, bringing an end to a publication that traces its roots to 1786.
Block Communications, the family-owned company that operates the Post-Gazette, said the newspaper will publish its final edition on Sunday, May 3. The company cited mounting financial losses and ongoing labor constraints as reasons the paper can no longer continue.
According to the company, the Post-Gazette has lost more than $350 million over the past two decades. Block Communications said the broader economic pressures facing local journalism, including declining readership and advertising revenue, have made continued losses unsustainable. The company also pointed to recent court rulings that require the newspaper to operate under the terms of a labor contract dating from 2014 to 2017, which it said limits operational flexibility.
The Post-Gazette currently has a paid circulation of about 83,000 readers. While it publishes news online daily, its print edition had already been reduced to twice weekly. Over its long history, the paper earned multiple Pulitzer Prizes, most recently in 2019 for its coverage of the mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue.
Its closure places the Post-Gazette among a growing list of metropolitan newspapers that have shut down or ended print operations in recent years. In 2025, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Star-Ledger of Newark stopped publishing print editions. Thousands of local newspapers nationwide have closed over the past two decades, according to a 2025 report from Northwestern University examining the state of local journalism.
The Pittsburgh paper has also been embroiled in a prolonged labor dispute. Union employees went on strike in 2022 after changes were made to employment terms, leading to years of legal battles. A federal court ruled in favor of the union in November, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined this week to halt that order.
Employees were notified of the closure Wednesday during a virtual meeting, according to the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. Union leaders said they intend to explore options to ensure Pittsburgh continues to receive strong local journalism.
Block Communications said it regrets the impact the closure will have on the community but expressed pride in the newspaper’s legacy under family ownership. The company noted that the shutdown will not affect The Toledo Blade, another newspaper it owns.
Source: NYT, CNBC