Following the collapse of other local publications, The Post-Gazette’s shutdown isn’t just a random casualty in the so-called decline of print. It is a consequence of decades of choices that have pushed Pittsburgh’s local publication further away from the people it was meant to serve.
The Post-Gazette’s failure was not inevitable. It didn’t happen because people stopped caring about journalism or their community. It was caused by management that valued control over sustainability. Journalists continued to show up and workers fought for fair treatment (https://newsguild.org/pittsburgh-post-gazette-owners-couldnt-bust-the-union-so-they-shut-down-the-paper/), but instead of investing in the future of the paper, the Block family chose to spend valuable time and money union-busting. The members of Pittsburgh’s community are the ones to pay the price.
We can blame the owners, whose decision-making has led to the closure of our local print publications, all we want. They should be held responsible for their actions and failures, but unfortunately, the real problem goes deeper than that.
Young writers, editors, and creatives have been allowed into newsrooms for years. Few, if any, were trusted to lead them. The architects of Pittsburgh’s editorial culture failed to pass it down. Baby-Boomer and Gen-X leaders blame young audiences on the decline of print, citing a lack of interest. This is not true.
Pittsburgh’s median age is 34, with 20-29 year-olds making up the largest portion of its residents. This demographic is important. Young people accept journalism, but they reject being ignored. They reject coverage that speaks about them instead of with them. They reject media that treats youth culture as something to observe rather than participate in.
Ultimately, the result of these institutions’ refusal to adapt is the loss of their city’s attention. Don’t mistake this for a lack of interest in print. Pittsburgh wants print. People want to tell stories about their city, to see themselves reflected in it.
This is a pivotal year for Pittsburgh, with the upcoming NFL Draft set to bring new investors, audiences, and national attention. Losing our local print journalism now is both disheartening and embarrassing. It means our story will be told by outsiders, or not told at all.
This is where DEJA comes in, and why we are speaking up.
I started a magazine because I noticed a void in Pittsburgh’s media landscape: young people and their stories. Coming from New York City, I’ve seen that our team here has such a drive and passion for what they’re doing. I think it’s because there simply isn’t an outlet for this kind of cultural reporting. Or maybe it’s because they know we can bring something back together. Whatever the reason, it’s spreading.
There are cities where media jobs are more readily available. You can find countless niche publications to submit to online. I’m not saying the people behind these projects have less motivation, but there’s a lot less at stake for them if it fails. They can hop to another media outlet down the street. Or, when young people are given enough training, they can start their own. In Pittsburgh, that is less of an option.
DEJA holds a rare position within Pittsburgh’s media ecosystem. We were built by motivated young people in response to our current cultural moment. We publish stories about fashion, music, and art, because those are the spaces within which young Pittsburghers already live, create, and organize.
We are not observing youth culture from the outside; we are an active part of it.
That matters. It gives us credibility: not because of age or legacy, but because of proximity. We listen. We collaborate. We are actively seeking new voices that legacy outlets have ignored or never even bothered to find. And in a city where major print institutions are disappearing, DEJA has found readers, contributors, and support in an incredibly short amount of time. Our success is proof that young people care deeply about print and local media when it reflects their reality.
Right now, DEJA is the only print magazine in Pittsburgh offering youth-driven editorial coverage. I express this not as a point of pride, but as a warning. The media gap is real, and it exists because legacy institutions have refused to prepare for succession.
Pittsburgh’s love for print is not dead. It was abandoned. And we are building what comes next.
If you care about Pittsburgh’s culture, its youth, and its future, support independent local print. Read it. Fund it. Advertise in it. Share it. And if you are in a position of power, pass the torch while there is still something worth passing.
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The Post-Gazette’s failure was not inevitable. It didn’t happen because people stopped caring about journalism or their community. It was caused by management that valued control over sustainability. Journalists continued to show up and workers fought for fair treatment (https://newsguild.org/pittsburgh-post-gazette-owners-couldnt-bust-the-union-so-they-shut-down-the-paper/), but instead of investing in the future of the paper, the Block family chose to spend valuable time and money union-busting. The members of Pittsburgh’s community are the ones to pay the price.
We can blame the owners, whose decision-making has led to the closure of our local print publications, all we want. They should be held responsible for their actions and failures, but unfortunately, the real problem goes deeper than that.
Young writers, editors, and creatives have been allowed into newsrooms for years. Few, if any, were trusted to lead them. The architects of Pittsburgh’s editorial culture failed to pass it down. Baby-Boomer and Gen-X leaders blame young audiences on the decline of print, citing a lack of interest. This is not true.
Pittsburgh’s median age is 34, with 20-29 year-olds making up the largest portion of its residents. This demographic is important. Young people accept journalism, but they reject being ignored. They reject coverage that speaks about them instead of with them. They reject media that treats youth culture as something to observe rather than participate in.
Ultimately, the result of these institutions’ refusal to adapt is the loss of their city’s attention. Don’t mistake this for a lack of interest in print. Pittsburgh wants print. People want to tell stories about their city, to see themselves reflected in it.
This is a pivotal year for Pittsburgh, with the upcoming NFL Draft set to bring new investors, audiences, and national attention. Losing our local print journalism now is both disheartening and embarrassing. It means our story will be told by outsiders, or not told at all.
This is where DEJA comes in, and why we are speaking up.
I started a magazine because I noticed a void in Pittsburgh’s media landscape: young people and their stories. Coming from New York City, I’ve seen that our team here has such a drive and passion for what they’re doing. I think it’s because there simply isn’t an outlet for this kind of cultural reporting. Or maybe it’s because they know we can bring something back together. Whatever the reason, it’s spreading.
There are cities where media jobs are more readily available. You can find countless niche publications to submit to online. I’m not saying the people behind these projects have less motivation, but there’s a lot less at stake for them if it fails. They can hop to another media outlet down the street. Or, when young people are given enough training, they can start their own. In Pittsburgh, that is less of an option.
DEJA holds a rare position within Pittsburgh’s media ecosystem. We were built by motivated young people in response to our current cultural moment. We publish stories about fashion, music, and art, because those are the spaces within which young Pittsburghers already live, create, and organize.
We are not observing youth culture from the outside; we are an active part of it.
That matters. It gives us credibility: not because of age or legacy, but because of proximity. We listen. We collaborate. We are actively seeking new voices that legacy outlets have ignored or never even bothered to find. And in a city where major print institutions are disappearing, DEJA has found readers, contributors, and support in an incredibly short amount of time. Our success is proof that young people care deeply about print and local media when it reflects their reality.
Right now, DEJA is the only print magazine in Pittsburgh offering youth-driven editorial coverage. I express this not as a point of pride, but as a warning. The media gap is real, and it exists because legacy institutions have refused to prepare for succession.
Pittsburgh’s love for print is not dead. It was abandoned. And we are building what comes next.
If you care about Pittsburgh’s culture, its youth, and its future, support independent local print. Read it. Fund it. Advertise in it. Share it. And if you are in a position of power, pass the torch while there is still something worth passing.
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