The Frontiersman, founded nearly 80 years ago to provide local journalism in the Mat-Su area, has printed its final edition.

In a farewell editorial to mark the close of a significant chapter in Alaska journalism, Managing Editor Jeremiah Bartz announced his departure from the Frontiersman on May 29 – his final day after working for the paper for nearly 25 years. This date was also the newspaper’s last print edition, distributed to mailboxes and local store racks across the Mat-Su.

A mainstay of local journalism, the Frontiersman was purchased by digital startup Mat-Su Sentinel, which will not be printing physical papers.

The Frontiersman’s sales come amid massive challenges facing the newspaper industry, including declining print circulation, rising costs and increasing shifts to online news.

According to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, more than 3,200 print newspapers have vanished over the last two decades, nearly 40% of the total market. While a few have transitioned to online sites, most have shut down for good.

Amid the collapse of legacy media, conservative online sites such as the Alaska Watchman, Must Read Alaska and The Alaska Story have stepped in to fill the void.

These outlets rely heavily on reader support to stay afloat.

Even with online media’s expansion, the overall coverage of the news has fallen off across the nation, with so-called “news deserts” now affecting local communities throughout the country. The drop in coverage of local school boards, city councils and borough and state government has raised concerns about holding these bodies accountable by what has traditionally been referred to as the “Fourth Estate.”

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