At the end of this year, Newsweek Magazine will stop producing print content and shift all content to its online magazine Newsweek Global. In a move that seems to echo the future of print media in general, they have abandoned the hard copy and will be producing content solely for tablets and browsers. The move was explained as being a far more cost-effective, more efficient means to reach readers in the global market. Some of the content will also be released on their sister site The Daily Beast.
They were quick to say that the magazine was not saying good-bye, but was instead just shifting to purely digital distribution. However, the change will bring about massive changes to the structure of the organization and will likely cause many an employee to have to find work elsewhere.
The magazine’s last cover is a black and white shot of the old Newsweek building with a hashtag that reads #THELASTPRINTISSUE. It will be curious to see how online distro will affect what was once one of the the big boys in print media.