Image Credits: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In these last couple of years, the journalism world has been hit hard from all types of directions. This year is no exception to that. In shocking news at the top of the year, Pittsburgh’s largest news publication, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, announced that it’s ceasing operations in early May of this year. But the closure has layers to it; in the investigative posts, Jim Heaney reported, “The publisher cited $350 million in losses over the past 20 years, which suggests management didn’t do a good job running the business.” Also citing, “Sour grapes also appear to be involved with the decision to close. The union that represents the paper’s journalists prevailed in its years-long legal fight against Block Communications, which it accused of bad-faith bargaining practices, and a judge agreed. With the ruling in hand, the union ended its three-year strike in November.” This decision will make getting daily local print publications hard to find, if not nonexistent in the Pittsburgh area.
Hanna Webster, who says she was a reporter at the publication, detailed her reaction to the news via poynter.org. She wrote, “It was 1:21 p.m. I shut my laptop and cried. It didn’t make sense. They just signed a 10-year lease on a new building, and we were set to move at the end of the month. Members of the editorial board were finalists for a Pulitzer the year prior. The investigations team and I had received a grant and a partnership, and we were putting the finishing touches on that project after months of reporting. The Post-Gazette had been awarded Pennsylvania News Organization of the Year for four years in a row.” She added, “The Post-Gazette has helped me find my voice and sharpen my moral compass. When I was 22, I remember whispering to my then-boyfriend one night that I wanted to change the world.”…