Journalism experiment moves forward as Detroit dailies end joint operations

After nearly four decades, the joint operating agreement that bound the business operations of the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News ended at the close of 2025, returning Detroit to a unique and uncertain experiment: two major daily newspapers competing fully and independently in a dramatically changed media landscape.

The agreement, approved in 1989 after years of legal battles, allowed the rival papers to combine advertising, printing, and distribution while maintaining separate newsrooms and editorial voices. Joint operating agreements were authorized under the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 to protect editorial diversity in markets that could no longer sustain two papers. At one point, nearly 30 such arrangements existed nationwide. Detroit was the country’s last functioning joint operating agreement.

Supporters argue that the Detroit agreement achieved its primary goal. “To the JOA’s credit, there are two newspapers to this day in metropolitan Detroit,” says former Detroit News publisher Mark Silverman. Media analysts at the Poynter Institute have echoed that view, noting that in most cities where JOAs dissolved, one paper eventually closed, raising questions about whether Detroit’s outcome reflects lasting stability or simply a longer runway.

Critics counter that the arrangement weakened both institutions. Business consolidation reduced competition, drove up advertising rates, and contributed to newsroom cuts and a bitter 1995 strike that cost both papers subscribers and trust. Former editors and publishers have described the business side of the JOA as a hindrance that served neither paper particularly well.

Now, both organizations say independence is the best path forward.

The Detroit News, owned by MediaNews Group, plans to relaunch a fully independent Sunday print edition beginning Jan. 18 — its first since 1989 — alongside redesigns of its website, mobile app, eNewspaper, and print product. Editor and Publisher Gary Miles has framed the move as a recommitment to readers and advertisers at a time when most newspapers continue to retreat from print.

The Free Press, owned by USA TODAY Network parent Gannett, will continue publishing seven days a week while leaning into its large digital audience, one of the biggest in Michigan. Editor and Vice President Nicole Avery Nichols has emphasized the paper’s evolution beyond print through events, newsletters, video, audio, and community engagement.

Despite deep industry headwinds, Detroit’s media ecosystem remains unusually robust. Both papers continue to invest heavily in auto industry, political and investigative reporting, earning national recognition and major awards. A recent survey by Model D found at least 25 publications operating locally. Check out the list here.

What happens next is uncertain. Advertising economics remain unforgiving, and digital revenue has yet to fully replace the losses of print. But Detroit’s ability to sustain two daily newspapers — now untethered from a shared business structure — is itself a notable achievement.

That the Free Press and the News not only survived the joint operating agreement but emerged prepared to compete again means a lot of people are watching this unfolding story of once rival newspapers.

Miles told the Columbia Journalism Review he is optimistic that both papers will survive independently. “I don’t think there’s any question that we’re returning to war footing,” he said. “But I also think the two companies are going to do their best to make sure they’re run profitably.”

Others are not so optimistic. Shea, the former Crain’s Detroit reporter, also speaking to CJR, said that both papers have significantly downsized in the past few decades: “What that looks like in the next year, I don’t know, but I am extremely skeptical of the future of Detroit as a two-newspaper town.” 

This story, written with AI assistance, is based on recent reporting from the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, Crain’s Detroit, Deadline Detroit, and the Columbia Journalism Review.

Read the full stories here:
Detroit Free Press, Detroit News to end joint operating agreement at end of 2025

End of newspaper JOA heralds new era of competition in Detroit

Starkman: As JOA Ends, News And Free Press Remain Among Best Local Newspapers In America

Bound together for 36 years, Detroit’s 2 daily newspapers go their separate ways

Can Two Detroit Papers Survive a Split?