A newspaper “headline” can “make your day”. taz from berlin not only believed this, she achieved it. Her unruly, unconventional sometimes even provocative titles had created a school. Her loyal readers were waiting for them every morning. Passers-by outside a kiosk with a newspaper stand often had to stop to get a better look. From now on, Monday through Friday, they will face the… void.

The left-wing alternative newspaper was published on Friday 17 October for the last time in print as a daily paper. Collectable and rich in material, this “last paper time” became her rapture. From now on, subscribers will receive a PDF and of course they will also have access to her online content which will be expanded and enhanced with more variety and on social media. The huge operating costs of distribution made it prohibitive to continue printing. And the irreconcilable finally had to make a compromise, even a partial one.

The weekend paper, which once a month will also be accompanied by the German edition of the French Le Monde Diplomatique will continue to circulate as normal. At least until further notice.

Designed and studied

It was a well-thought-out decision and with the expectation that no worker would lose their job, as Pascal Boeckel, political editor who started at taz in 1999, points out to DW. The plan has been in place since 2018, he reminds us, and the goal was precisely to have as smooth a transition as possible to this new “hybrid” format, without consequences for both staff and readers.

The strengthening of its digital “sheet” started in 2020 and the decision to stop the printed daily edition was finally taken at the general meeting of its shareholders in 2023. “Hold fast to your newspaper” was the main headline on Friday and 44-year-old Linda, a reader since the age of 19, filled the front page with a letter admitting that she understands the decision, she will remain faithful subscriber, but she will miss that sound of turning the pages.

A strange feeling

The workers also feel strange, Pascal admits, although he will be able to say more on Monday, when going to the office he won’t see the body of newspapers waiting for him at the entrance. The good news for now is that most subscribers will stay loyal. Traffic officials had feared they would lose almost half of the roughly 40,000, but in the end there will be significantly fewer, as evidenced by early reactions.

In any case, last Friday is a historic day for the press, since taz becomes the first newspaper of national circulation to make such a decision.

Since 1978 when the paper started as a self-managed, alternative paper there have been many ups and downs along the way. There were times when it was threatened with permanent closure and was saved thanks to the contributions of friends and campaigns to help it prove that it was seven-souled. To this day there are 25,098 “her supporters” supporting her in a form of grassroots corporation.

Workers now speak of “a fresh start” and continue to look to the future with optimism. It will be seen in the coming months if they are right. However, in Germany the press is also experiencing a significant setback, especially the printed media, and the concentration phenomena are strengthening. Many claim that this first taz “farewell” from the paper will be followed by other newspapers relatively soon.