Now that the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs have been implemented, media speculation, economists’ prognostications and widespread handwringing have given way to reality. Many affected industries (and some not directly affected) are initiating the strategies they had held in reserve while waiting to learn how hard the tariff hammer would fall. Many will increase the prices of their products and services, placing most of the burden on their customers, which is the equivalent of a new tax on households and businesses.
Bringing more manufacturing (and manufacturing jobs) back to the United States is a stated goal of the Trump administration’s tariff policies. Achieving that goal would take years, according to Gary Clyde Hufbauer. He is a nonresident senior fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics, former deputy assistant secretary for international trade and investment policy of the U.S. Treasury (1977–1979), and a widely published author on global trade, investment and tax issues.
“Experience with past tariff episodes shows that it takes impacted foreign firms a year or two to first search for a good U.S. location for a new plant, obtain environmental and other approvals, and finally construct the physical plant and recruit a workforce. Likely, Trump will not see much ‘tariff-jumping’ investment before 2027,” said Hufbauer.
Initially, the Trump administration stated it would apply a 25% tariff on aluminum from Brazil and paper/newsprint from Canada on April 2, 2025. This strikes at the heart of the print production process and could cause newspapers to make significant and difficult decisions. For many, the only option is to increase subscription and advertising rates. Some may stop newspaper printing, promote digital subscriptions and advertising, and convert print content into digital/email newsletters. Small, local publications are particularly vulnerable and could lead to closures and more news deserts.
On the afternoon of April 2, the News/Media Alliance notified all its members that newsprint imported from Canada is exempt from the 25% tariff. The exemption applies to all compliant goods from Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The 25% tariff imposed on aluminum from all countries on March 12 is under separate tariff policies.
Hufbauer added, “For countries like Brazil that are distant and don’t run large surpluses with the U.S., it should be easier to strike a deal with the Trump Administration.”
Taking action in upstate New York
Mark Vinciguerra, publisher and president of Capital Region Independent Media (CRIM), had already been making difficult decisions before the possible tariffs were even announced. Capital Region Independent Media produces and publishes seven print weekly newspapers, several magazines, websites, social media newsletters and broadcast and video content in the Southern Adirondacks of New York and the Lakes Region of Vermont.
Two of those newspapers — Lakes Region Free Press and Washington County Free Press — were successful total-market-coverage publications because they were full of inserts and auto dealer ads. However, they started losing those ad revenue sources recently, and profitability evaporated. They cost money to print and mail every week. In January 2025, Vinciguerra and his team decided to stop printing the Lakes Region Free Press, converting it to a digital newsletter, followed by the Washington County Free Press in April.
“We also knew what was looming with the tariffs. Our printing supplier told us that if they go into effect, we should expect a minimum 20% increase in charges. That definitely was a fact when weighing our options with the Lakes Region Free Press and Washington County Free Press,” Vinciguerra said.
New England Newspapers, Inc., a different printing supplier, prints CRIM's magazine print products. It informed Vinciguerra by a letter dated March 12 that a surcharge of 8% to 18% would be applied because of the tariffs on aluminum and newsprint.
“We have to increase our rates immediately, adding a 20% surcharge to our advertisers’ invoices. Who can find an additional 20% in their bottom line? Our total revenue is $2.6 to $2.8 million annually. We’re already spending $400,000 to $500,000 a year printing. A 20% increase is $100,000 in extra costs when we’re already struggling with margins. This will exacerbate the decline in print products even more rapidly than it was already declining,” Vinciguerra said.
In a follow-up comment when the tariff exemption on newsprint from Canada was announced, Vinciguerra said, “I applaud the decision to exclude newsprint from the latest round of tariffs announced by the president. This will immensely help sustain journalism as we will not have to take dramatic action to overcome these extra costs.”
No place to hide for large publishers
A newspaper group that owns a print facility is just as vulnerable to the potential increases in the cost of aluminum plates and newsprint; however, it can offset some of those increases by improving press efficiencies. This is one of Georges Media Group’s strategies to protect its bottom line. The group owns and publishes The Times-Picayune (New Orleans), The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), the Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette, Louisiana), The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate (Shreveport, Louisiana) and several community newspapers and specialty publications.
“We’re routinely meeting with our production team to ensure they are laser-focused on process control and optimizing efficiencies. Any complacency can lead to mistakes, and we can’t afford a careless error. Our resources are too valuable,” said Roger Holmes, executive vice president of operations at Georges Media Group.
Holmes added that even if the tariffs take effect on April 2, he won’t know how much of an increase is coming. He always has a 30- to 40-day inventory of press resources and won’t receive the April shipment until the end of the month or early May.
His team prints approximately 100 core and commercial titles per week. Its Manroland Regioman press can print as many as 64 total newspaper pages, 40 of which are color. Holmes said the costs of consumables have remained stable for two years. Overall print operation costs increased by 2 percent during that period, but most of it was for payroll to retain talented press operators, packaging experts and other valuable team members.
“We know we will have to tighten our expenses and take a hard look at our total page counts and the type of paper we’re running. Some jobs we’re putting on high-bright paper may have to go to standard newsprint. Currently, we’re running a 43-gram sheet, but we may have to go to a thinner sheet for better yield,” Holmes said.
Georges management won’t consider any rate increases to subscribers and advertisers until the exact nature of the proposed tariffs is known. According to Holmes, there are no plans to reduce newspaper frequency from the current seven days a week, but the company has paused any investments in capital projects.
“On April 3, our newsprint supplier confirmed that its products qualify under the USMCA agreement and will not be subject to tariffs. This confirmation brings significant relief and removes a major concern from our operations,” Holmes said in a follow-up statement. “We will continue to closely monitor the political and trade landscape, however, to stay ahead of any potential changes. Meanwhile, our team remains committed to being strong stewards of the company’s resources. We’re counting on our leaders to stay creative by seeking new strategies to reduce expenses while maintaining our commitment to quality.”
Remaining optimistic in California
As president and CEO of the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), Chuck Champion must manage many issues affecting the association’s hundreds of members. Tariffs are the latest, and like the constant flow of legislative issues, they often require Champion to be a listener, an adviser and a cheerleader and share his optimism for the future of the news media and newspapers in California.
Champion started receiving calls from some members that their printers notified them that prices would be increasing even before the tariffs went into effect. California printers and newspapers are particularly vulnerable to the tariff on newsprint from Canada as 80% of the newsprint California publishers use comes from Canada.
“My first piece of advice to members was to push back on their suppliers because the tariffs hadn’t been applied, and it’s not certain what newsprint suppliers would do. Some may absorb a portion or all of the increase from the newsprint tariff, but simply passing a 25% increase on members’ print bills is not fair,” Champion said.
He also told members that a 25% increase to the full amount of their contracts was also unfair because approximately 20% of those contracts are for other materials — not newsprint. A proportioned increase may be appropriate but not on the entire monthly costs.
Champion cautioned CNPA members about increasing advertising rates, which may be appropriate, but keeping those elevated rates if the tariffs are not implemented or aluminum or newsprint are exempted. He talked with a publisher who was drafting a letter to his advertisers that he would adjust rates as tariffs’ fluid situation changed.
To help its members explain the tariff issue to its readers, CNPA has partnered with a public affairs firm to produce and prepare articles and editorials that members can place in their newspapers. Champion said that the association also coordinates its efforts with the News/Media Alliance to maximize the impact of their tariff messages.
Members’ financial stability and sustainability are another concern for Champion and the CNPA, especially in light of the tariffs’ pressure on newspapers’ bottom lines. Although almost 80% of member journalists work for five or six of the large corporate owners, such as Gannett, McClatchy and Alden, a publisher told Champion that she had to use reserve funds to offset some of the costs for the first time in 15 to 18 years.
“The large corporate newspaper groups have the financial runway to adjust to the effects of the tariffs, but in the current economic environment, we are focused on the smaller, independent papers, especially those funded philanthropically. A question on our minds is, ‘How long will that support last?’ It’s estimated $8 billion in annual funding would be required if the current support for small, independent newspapers ended,” Champion said.
He is confident CNPA can work with publishers to find unique ways to offset these costs and adapt to the current environment. Some may have to print fewer days, fewer pages or narrow their editorial coverage, but Champion doesn’t foresee a mass number of papers closing.
“I’m an eternal optimist. There are ways we can sustain print publications and make sure we are still producing quality journalism. It will require a concerted effort by everyone — not only the publishers themselves but the audience they serve and the legislature. I’ve heard about the demise of the newspaper business for the last 25 years. We’re still here and still fighting. We’re still a significant medium with value,” Champion said.
Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010. He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.
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