Mismanagement led to financial losses and bad-faith labor practices that contributed to the pending closure of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Striking journalists and supporters of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2022. Photo courtesy of Communications Workers of America.
Big city newspapers are constantly downsizing. It’s worse in Pittsburgh, where the Post-Gazette announced last week that it’s closing altogether in May. The publisher cited $350 million in losses over the past 20 years, which suggests management didn’t do a good job running the business. The Buffalo News, for example, has operated in the black the past couple of decades, although its profit margin has shrunk over the years.
Sour grapes also appear to be involved with the decision to close. The union that represents the paper’s journalists prevailed in its yearslong legal fight against Block Communications, which it accused, and a judge agreed, were bad-faith bargaining practices. With the ruling in hand, the union ended its three-year strike in November…