The Columbus Dispatch plans to cease publication of its community-focused weekly newspapers, collectively known as ThisWeek Community News.
ThisWeek Community News has been publishing hyperlocal news stories and high school sports in central Ohio since 1989, according to the publication's Facebook page.
Parent paper The Dispatch announced this week it will shutter both the print and online editions of ThisWeek effective January 26, as part of a plan to increase the paper's focus on digital reporting.
Edwina Blackwell Clark, executive editor of The Dispatch, said in the announcement the decision was difficult to make, but sought to assure readers that the change will not diminish the strength of the paper's daily news coverage.
“We remain deeply committed to serving our readers, subscribers and advertisers, and we are confident in the future of local news, both in print and digital,” Blackwell Clark said.
The announcement comes at a time when papers across the nation are cutting back on physical newsprint.
Last year, Gannett, the country's largest newspaper chain, discontinued Saturday print editions at more than half of its newspapers nationwide, including The Dispatch.
