What Really Happened To The Scarsdale Inquirer?

For most Scarsdale residents, The Scarsdale Inquirer was how they got any local news. I know that for my grandparents, this was especially the case. They would anticipate picking up the paper in a plastic bag thrown on their doorstep each Friday to learn about all the new businesses and local events going on in the community. While they may not have had the Edgemont Gazette, The Scarsdale Inquirer was a major part of their lives and the lives of thousands of Scarsdale and Edgemont residents. However, on January 16, 2024, The Scarsdale Inquirer announced it had suspended further publication. This was sudden and unexpected news for staff and readers alike. 

For instance, Senior reporter Todd Sliss, who had covered Scarsdale and Edgemont sports and schools for 24 years, broke the news on X, writing: 

“Devastated to say I was laid off from @ScarsInquirer Monday. Spent my entire adulthood covering Scarsdale/Edgemont in a variety of ways. So many memorable stories/people/events the last 24 years. It saddens me to think about the stories I won't be telling this week and beyond.”

The Scarsdale Inquirer had, in fact, ceased publication. The reason? Money. Rather, the lack of it. Somehow, the newspaper of record for one of the richest towns in America had gone broke. 

The end, though shocking, hadn't arrived without warning. The paper's lifestyle magazine had quietly failed to appear in print in November 2023. Though no one suspected a complete ceasing of operations two months later. Additionally, a Northwestern University study that year found that 2.5 newspapers were closing nationwide every single week. Lack of advertisements from local businesses and shrinking subscriptions were the main culprits. 

Editor-in-Chief Valerie Abrahams gave some hope of a return at first, saying the paper had paused publication while seeking "solutions to bring us back to financial sustainability." However, over two years later, no return has come. 

The Scarsdale Inquirer had been around for 123 years, long enough that most residents didn't know Scarsdale or Edgemont without it. It had covered the community every Friday without fail. Local newspapers are able to do things that no national news outlet can: they can cover a school board meeting, a new small business that opened, and a student who broke a track record in the same edition. 

While efforts have been made to provide Scarsdale and Edgemont with a reliable local news source, such as the creation of The Scarsdale Insider by Scarsdale resident Deborah Skolnik, and of course The Edgemont Gazette, none have been as significant and impactful on the community as The Inquirer.  

So the next time someone asks why the newspaper for one of America's richest towns shut down, the answer is almost too embarrassing to print: they ran out of money.