The landscape of Detroit's newspaper industry is set to fundamentally change as the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press prepare to end their Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) when 2025 draws to a close. The agreement, which has been in place since 1989, enabled the papers to share resources such as advertising, printing, and distribution while maintaining separate and competitive newsrooms.
According to an announcement made by Gary Miles, editor and publisher of The News, the dissolution of the JOA will allow them "to operate more closely with our sister papers" and "provide coverage of Metro Detroit like no single news organization can." This move seems to stand ready to allow a more integrated approach with its sister papers in the Detroit suburbs. The Detroit Free Press, on the other hand, has stated through its Chief Communications Officer, Lark-Marie Anton, that they are “a” during the transition period. This indicates a clear intent to navigate smoothly through the changes that will arrive with the termination of the JOA.
The JOA was crucial in preserving both newspapers during turbulent times in the media industry. As the Detroit Free Press reports, the collaboration was formed after a U.S. Supreme Court tie vote permitted the special alliance, which likely saved the Free Press from shutting its doors. Nicole Avery Nichols, the editor and vice president of the Free Press, highlighted the story as one of how "a tremendous challenge was overcome by an epic battle" to sustain local journalism.
