The Onion shocks media industry with innovative digital-only strategy

Updated on Nov. 9 at 10:05 AM PT with a comment from The Onion

America’s finest news source is going digital-only this December.

Chicago-based satirical newspaper The Onion will cease printing its 25-year-old newsweekly Dec. 12, according to a Crain’s Chicago Business report. At its peak, the fake news source was available in 17 markets, but it’s currently distributed in just three cities: Chicago, Milwaukee, and Providence, RI.

The company decided to phase out the print portion of its business over two years ago, according to The Onion’s public relations director Derek Cuculich.

“The team understands the move, and while years ago there may have been a little resistance, today everyone is on board,” Cuculich told VentureBeat.

The local area paper is known for its clever headlines and shrewd media criticism, with stories like “Masochistic Dog Enjoys Being Walked Around On Leash While Naked” and “80 Percent of Small-Town Newspaper Written By Jerry Schoepke.”

The company has been focusing on its digital content business for a number of years, outsourcing its print production to several franchise partners around the country. It’s also started to tout its creative services to corporate clients like shoe retailer DSW Inc., which commissioned a series of men’s fashion stories on The Onion.

Apparently, recently deceased hamster Muffin is pleased with his DSW shoebox coffin.