The Onion’s Print Revival Sparks Revenue Surge – and Raises Questions for Media’s Future

Ten years ago, The Onion quietly binned its printing presses and joined the long list of media outlets that decided paper was yesterday’s news. The satirical news outlet, once famous for its free-distribution newspapers, shut down its print edition in 2013 and leaned heavily into online publishing. But, like so many other digital-only publishers, it struggled to convert loyal readers into a sustainable source of income. Ownership ping-ponged several times – from Univision in 2016 to G/O Media in 2019 – before a group of investors led by Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson and journalist Ben Collins grabbed the baton in April 2024. Few expected what happened next: The Onion went back to print.