Last week, we published a photo of the entryway to the former Richmond Times-Dispatch headquarters, calling attention to the impression left on the building where the letters of the former daily newspaper once proclaimed its existence. It’s a poetic image for a publication that, with its depleted staff and resources, has become a shadow of itself. 

Of course, The Times-Dispatch is not alone in the struggle for relevance in an era where selling yesterday’s news on printed paper has become antiquated. 

In Pittsburgh, the Post-Gazette, owned by the family-run Block Communications, announced plans to shut down on May 3. The move follows a long labor dispute with a union representing its workers and comes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block an appellate court ruling against the paper. That wasn’t the only reason. The owners say the paper has been losing money for years, estimating about $350 million in losses over the last decade. While we haven’t seen the books, the decline was likely driven by shrinking circulation, changing reader habits and collapsing advertising revenue. 

“Since 2007, the Post-Gazette has operated at a significant loss, supported by hundreds of millions of dollars of the Block family’s continued investment to keep the Post-Gazette open,” Jodi Miehls, Block Communications president and chief operating officer, told employees in a video last week. “Despite those efforts, the realities facing local journalism have brought us to this sad moment.” 

Closer to home, the New Journal and Guide, a weekly African American newspaper based in Norfolk, announced a major change in its Dec. 14 issue. The publication will now publish only during the second and fourth weeks of the month. The publisher put a positive spin on the news in a full-page announcement last month and cited plans to expand the paper’s online presence. 

“This change will help to ensure the New Journal and Guide is better positioned to continue to publish where Black voices, Black history and local journalism, in general, are under attack.” 

Indeed. In a case of art imitating life, the television series “The Paper,” which documents the staff of a struggling newspaper, was recently pulled from NBC’s lineup. The workplace comedy will continue, but only on the network’s streaming platform, Peacock. The series has received praise for its writing, though its accuracy leaves much to be desired. 

Back in the world beyond our screens, we’re glad the New Journal and Guide will continue to publish. Still, the truth is stark: Every struggling newspaper represents a loss for local accountability, community storytelling and the public record. Fewer reporters mean fewer local stories and fewer voices lifted — and in a world awash with misinformation, that scarcity is dangerous. 

And what of the Richmond Free Press? 

Like many community newspapers, we do this work with a small staff carrying heavy workloads, often juggling multiple roles and deadlines while navigating the same financial pressures reshaping local journalism nationwide. We work from a building that reflects years of deferred maintenance, a reminder that this work is rarely glamorous and never easy. 

Still, the mission endures: to document this community, to tell its stories with care and consistency, and to serve as a reliable public record. 

We can guarantee this: We’ll be here next week.