The soaring cost of newsprint caused by proposed tariffs on Canadian suppliers is stifling newspapers all across America, writes Paul Farhi for The Washington Post.

The months-long spike in the price of paper comes at a time when the news industry was already in a tough position. Now, the tariffs implemented by the Commerce Department in March on Canadian imports have further impacted the publishing industry’s dominant paper source.

This has caused the cost of newspapers, magazines, and print advertisers to rise at double-digit rates.

As a result, American newspapers continue their decline. Newsprint is usually their second-biggest operating expense after labor.

In the last few months, a number of newspapers have been forced to lay off their employees and change their publishing schedule. This includes the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has cut its print edition from seven to five days a week.

“We are emphasizing digital because the market is going digital,” said Editor David Shribman, while adding that “these tariffs aren’t helping us.”

Read more about the rising cost of newsprint and its effect on the newspaper industry in The Washington Post by clicking here.

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