Serious News For 'The Onion'

No, this is not a joke. The Onion confirmed Friday that it will soon be halting print operations in its three remaining markets. The satirical paper's last print issue will go to newsstands in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Providence on December 12. The humor publication will continue to exist online and in "a new creative service for advertisers." While we're curious to know what that second thing could possibly mean, we're still really sad to see the paper go.

The decision comes on the heels of the company's decision last year to move writers from New York and consolidate all of its operations at its Chicago headquarters. With advertising revenue shrinking and humor reserves apparently concentrated in the Midwest, the print edition's market had been steadily shrinking for several years.

The soon-to-be-former paper, true to form, has continually poked fun at the demise of its original format. In July, when print was stopped in The Onion's hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, both print and online editions of the city's final issue published an obituary titled "Print Dead at 1,803."

Print, which had for nearly two millennia worked tirelessly to spread knowledge around the globe in the form of books, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and numerous other textual materials, reportedly succumbed to its long battle with ill health, leaving behind legions of readers who had for years benefited from the dissemination of ideas made possible by the advent of printed materials.

Where will all the smoke shops advertise now?

Image: The Onion