News Corp to launch The California Post in print

News Corp will launch a new daily newspaper in Los Angeles in early 2026, expanding its New York Post brand to the West Coast for the first time. The move, first reported by Axios, marks a bold bet on print and digital journalism in a region where local newsrooms have been hollowed out by layoffs and financial strain.

The California Post will mirror the style and tone of the New York Post, combining celebrity gossip, sports, opinion and punchy front pages with coverage of local issues and national stories tailored to a California audience. It will be available in print and online, with its own digital channels and a dedicated editorial team based in Los Angeles.

Keith Poole, the British editor-in-chief of the New York Post, told Axios that the West Coast already represents the paper’s second-largest readership base after New York, and that 90% of its digital audience now comes from outside the city.

“Los Angeles and California surely need a daily dose of The Post as an antidote to the jaundiced, jaded journalism that has sadly proliferated,” said News Corp CEO Robert Thomson.

Of Poole, who President Donald Trump recently praised and said should take over the editorship of The Wall Street Journal, Thomson said: “He will now be responsible for covering not just New York, but California, the US, the world and perhaps, Mars”

The California Post will be led by Nick Papps, who previously served as West Coast correspondent for News Corp’s Australian titles. He will report to Poole and oversee a newly hired team of reporters, editors and photographers. The group also plans to expand its commercial team to target West Coast advertisers and sponsors.

Print editions of The California Post will be produced using the same California press facilities that already print copies of the New York Post for local distribution.

The launch comes at a time of steep decline for Los Angeles news outlets. The Los Angeles Times cut more than 180 newsroom jobs over the past year, LAist has shed staff through layoffs and buyouts, and LA Weekly has seen an exodus of senior staff. “The Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers, who are starved of serious reporting and puckish wit,” said Thomson.