• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 26, 2026

Print circulation is continuing to fall at news organizations, according to a study from Press Gazette, based on data from the Alliance for Audited Media.

Of the top 25 US newspapers, 24 lost circulation. Daily print circulation went down by an average of 12.5% at the top publications, the report states.

The biggest decline was that of The Washington Post. The Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper lost 21.2% of its print circulation during the six-month period ending in September 2025. As of this report, its print volume was 87,576, compared to 111,171 during the same period in the prior year.

That result is not totally surprising, given the turmoil at the Post. Last month, it laid off 300 people – almost 30% of its staff – CEO Will Lewis stepped down and the paper was embroiled in political controversy. 

Next on this sad roster is Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Los Angeles Times, which suffered a 19.8% falloff in print and now produces 63,492 print issues. 

The Post and Los Angeles Times reportedly saw their numbers sag after they failed to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.  

The Wall Street Journal, which has the highest circulation overall, still experienced a 12.9% reduction in the six-month period covered in the report. Its circulation is now 412,429. 

Even the mighty New York Times endured a 8.6% drop in print circulation.

The New York Post, the Murdoch-owned tabloid, lost a mere 4.2% of print circulation during the period, and is now the third-largest publication in terms of circulation, it reported. 

The sole publication to enjoy an increase was Florida’s Villages Daily Sun – it rose by 4.2% and now has a print total of 48,716. 

It’s likely that the newspapers cited in the report are not unhappy that print has been hit so hard. Many are busily trying to convert to digital, while sending canned print editions on weekends that may miss top breaking stories. Digital revenue is growing at many. 

It's bad news for people like this reporter, who enjoys nothing more sitting down with coffee and a couple of print newspapers – i.e., the Times and the wonderful weekend edition of Financial Times on Saturday morning.