Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On the 29th of July 1786, a four-page weekly called The Pittsburgh Gazette appeared on newsstands. Hugh Henry Brackenridge encouraged its creation as the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains. Joseph Hall and John Scull published the paper to cover the start of the nation. One of its first major articles included the newly adopted Constitution of the United States. In 1820, publishers Eichbaum and Johnston changed the name to Pittsburgh Gazette and Manufacturing and Mercantile Advertiser. David MacLean bought the paper in 1822 and later reverted to the former title. Under editor Neville B. Craig from 1829 to 1841, the Gazette championed the Anti-Masonic movement. Craig turned the paper into the city's first daily issue starting on the 30th of July 1833. By 1850s, the Gazette helped organize a local chapter of the new Republican Party. It contributed to the election of Abraham Lincoln. The paper was one of the first to suggest tensions between North and South would erupt in war.
The 1920s were a time of consolidation in the Pittsburgh newspaper market. William Randolph Hearst negotiated with the Olivers to purchase the morning Gazette Times and its evening sister, the Chronicle Telegraph. Paul Block arranged to buy out the owner of the morning Post and evening Sun. After swapping the Sun in return for Hearst's Gazette Times, Block had both morning papers. He combined them to form the Post-Gazette. Both new papers debuted on the 2nd of August 1927. In 1960, Pittsburgh had three daily papers: the Post-Gazette in the morning, and the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph in the evening and on Sunday. The Post-Gazette bought the Sun-Telegraph and moved into the Grant Street offices. In November 1961, the Post-Gazette entered into an agreement with the Pittsburgh Press Company to combine their production and advertising sales operations. This agreement stayed in place for over 30 years. The agreement gave the Post-Gazette a new home in the Press building, constructed for the Press in 1927 and expanded with a curtain wall in 1962.
On the 6th of October 2022, the advertising, distribution and production workers at the Post-Gazette went on strike. On the 18th of October, the newsroom workers joined the strike. The National Labor Relations Board pursued a case against the paper charging unfair practices. As of March 2023, the strike had not been settled and the NLRB case was pending before an administrative law judge. As of October 2023, the unions were still on strike against the Post-Gazette. In April 2024, the NLRB announced it was authorizing a request from the newspaper's unions to seek a temporary injunction against the Post-Gazette ownership for violating workers' labor rights. In November 2025, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the earlier finding that PG Publishing violated federal labor law by negotiating in bad faith. The strike ended on the 24th of November 2025 as the striking workers returned to work after striking for three years. The Union's online strike paper, Pittsburgh Union Progress, closed down on the 23rd of November just before workers returned.
In the 2010s, the editorial tone of the paper shifted from liberal to conservative. This shift occurred particularly after the editorial pages of the paper were consolidated in 2018 with The Blade of Toledo, Ohio. Keith Burris, the pro-Trump editorial page editor of The Blade, directed the editorial pages of both papers. Burris assumed the additional position of executive editor of the Post-Gazette in 2019. In June 2018, the Post-Gazette fired its long-time editorial cartoonist, Rob Rogers. He had worked at the paper for 25 years and joined in 1993. Four months after Rogers was fired, the Post-Gazette hired conservative editorial cartoonist Steve Kelley as his replacement. In 2020, the Post-Gazette endorsed Trump's reelection bid, making him the first Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972 whom the paper had endorsed. The paper said that Rogers' dismissal has little to do with politics, ideology or Donald Trump but did not provide details.
When John Craig handed editorial reign to David Shribman in 2003, Craig told Shribman that the paper was in terrible financial shape. It seemed there was only enough oil in this newspaper to keep the light on for one year. In September 2006 the paper disclosed that it was experiencing financial challenges, largely related to its labor costs. The paper also disclosed it had not been profitable since printing had resumed in 1993. In August 2018 the Post-Gazette ceased publishing daily. It cut down to online editions on Tuesdays and Saturdays and print editions the remaining days of the week. In October 2019, the paper further reduced its paper editions to Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. In March 2021, the paper cut down again, getting rid of the Friday edition. On the 7th of January 2026, Block Communications announced that the PG will publish its final edition and cease operations on May 3. Copies are sold for $4 daily on Thursdays and $6 on Sundays or Thanksgiving Day in-state.
The Post-Gazette won Pulitzer Prizes in 1938, 1998, and 2019. In 1938, Ray Sprigle won the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting for his investigation revealing that newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Staff photographer Martha Rial won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for her photographs of Rwandan and Burundian refugees. The Post-Gazette won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The paper was praised for its immersive, compassionate coverage. In 1997, Bill Moushey won the National Press Club's Freedom of Information Award on a series investigating the Federal Witness Protection Program. Michael Sallah, Michael Korsh and Evan Robinson-Johnson of the Post-Gazette, with ProPublica, won the 2023 George Polk Award for medical reporting for a series on Philips Respironics' efforts to continue marketing their breathing machines despite knowing they were dangerous to users.
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Common questions
When was the Pittsburgh Gazette first published?
The Pittsburgh Gazette first appeared on newsstands on the 29th of July 1786. Hugh Henry Brackenridge encouraged its creation as the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Who founded the original Pittsburgh Gazette in 1786?
Joseph Hall and John Scull published the paper to cover the start of the nation. The four-page weekly included major articles such as the newly adopted Constitution of the United States.
How did the Post-Gazette get its name from earlier papers?
Paul Block combined the morning Post and evening Sun after swapping the Sun for Hearst's Gazette Times. Both new papers debuted on the 2nd of August 1927 under the unified name Post-Gazette.
What happened during the 2025 strike against the Post-Gazette?
The strike ended on the 24th of November 2025 as the striking workers returned to work after striking for three years. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the finding that PG Publishing violated federal labor law by negotiating in bad faith.
When will the final edition of the Post-Gazette be published?
Block Communications announced that the PG will publish its final edition and cease operations on the 3rd of May 2026. Copies are sold for $4 daily on Thursdays and $6 on Sundays or Thanksgiving Day in-state.