• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News will sever their connection at the start of 2026 and each will go its own way. 

The Free Press will remain with its parent Gannett. 

“The joint operating agreement between the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News is set to expire at the end of this year, and the partnership will not be renewed,” says Lark-Marie Anton, chief communications officer, the Free Press reports. "The Detroit Free Press will continue to deliver essential news and content for our valued audiences and provide the best marketing solutions for our clients." 

The two urban papers combined their business operations in 1989 as the News sought to recover from a long legal battle. They remained competitive journalistically, but combined functions like advertising sales, printing and newspaper distribution, the Free Press continues. 

The Free Press will continue offering its print edition seven days a week. And it will maintain its website, freep.com, which it says is one of Michigan’s most visited media sites. 

"The tale of the two daily newspapers in Detroit is one of those truly great American stories,” says Nicole Avery Nichols, editor and vice president of the Free Press. “It's one that centers on how a tremendous challenge was overcome by an epic battle — in this case, it was a fight to sustain robust local journalism on behalf of metro Detroiters.”