Newspapers across the country are reeling after tariffs implemented in March raised newsprint prices by 25-30%. Newsprint is usually the second largest expense for local newspapers.
RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Residents of a North Carolina town hoping to read “Rex Morgan MD” with Sunday coffee are about to have a rude awakening. And a newspaper says it’s all President Donald Trump’s fault.
The Robesonian of Lumberton announced that it was removing an eight-page color comic strip section from Sunday editions.
A newspaper editorial last week said it made the “not-so-funny” decision to cut the comics due to rising costs spurred by the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian newsprint.
“This newspaper has made the difficult decision to discontinue Sunday comics, a decision we believe was made at the White House,” the editorial said.
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Instead, the newspaper will publish a single page of black-and-white comics and puzzles. Last Sunday, familiar bands such as “Rex Morgan” and “Funky Winkerbean” were absent from the reduced lineup.
Newspapers across the country are reeling after tariffs implemented in March raised newsprint prices by 25-30%. Newsprint is usually the second largest expense for local newspapers.
“All newspapers our size run on very thin margins,” Donnie Douglas, editor of The Robesonian, said in an interview on Wednesday.
The comic book dilemma is a symptom of larger issues facing local media. Douglas said the paper decided it was better to cut comics than risk cutting staff or freelancers who cover local news and serve as watchdogs for local government.
“When this thing is forced on you, you can’t say cut here, or cut a position, cut the stringer budget,” he said. “There’s really nowhere to go.”
The newspaper with a Sunday circulation of 6,200 is based in the town of about 21,000 people about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Raleigh.
White House media staff did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Robesonian editorial acknowledged that newsprint costs are not the only challenge it faces. Like other newspapers, it has been affected by changing reading habits which has led to a decline in the number of advertisers and readers.
The editorial said the newspaper hopes these conditions will change so that it can one day restore the color comics section.
“But for Sunday comics to return, something has to break to our advantage – additional readers and advertisers, or a change of heart at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave,” the article said, referring to the White House address. “Of these two, we know which is more likely.”
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