The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will publish its last edition on May 3, 2026, after serving the city for 240 years. The paper’s closure comes on the heels of a three-year strike.
On Saturday morning, Jan. 10, I spoke with independent journalist Natalie Bencivenga, a former reporter for the Post-Gazette. I worked with her at Healthcare for All PA many years ago.
On Saturday morning, Jan. 10, I spoke with independent journalist Natalie Bencivenga, a former reporter for the Post-Gazette. I worked with her at Healthcare for All PA many years ago.
Block Communications (owner of the Post-Gazette) lost a legal battle when the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union. On Jan. 1, Block also announced the closure of the alternative weekly, City Paper, after 34 years.
According to Natalie, there were murmurs of a strike years before it began in 2022. Management was running the paper into the ground, she said. We also discussed the need for nonprofit media models. We think that localities with local news media have less corruption.
I also spoke with Andrew Conte, the director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. He gave some background on Block Communications, owned by the Block family and based in Toledo, Ohio. He said the Post-Gazette had lost $300 million.
Approximately 100 journalists will be out of work when the paper folds.
Pittsburgh’s only remaining newspaper will be the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, founded by right-wing multimillionaire Richard Mellon Scaife.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette closure highlights the need for new media models.