"Today will see the final print edition of Eesti Päevaleht published. Emotionally, it is the end of an era in Estonian journalism, while it is just that – emotional rather than practical, the paper's Editor-in-Chief Urmo Soonvald writes in the final print issue.

"The decision to discontinue the print newspaper was rational as we see and feel, just as our competitors do, that the future of journalism is digital. All other narratives are living in the past and clinging to them would be a sign of lacking faith in the future," Soonvald notes.

Eesti Päevaleht, as one of the most influential Estonian newspapers of the re-independent era, has employed dozens of well-known journalists and its former editors-in-chief include Kalle Muuli and Priit Hõbemägi.

"In 2012, Eesti Päevaleht was hitched to [online news portal] Delfi which was to be its lifeline. While experts had been talking about Eesti Päevaleht's looming demise for years by then, following different motivations, the spring of 2012 added a fresh measure of skepticism and concerns that the paper was in danger of becoming a tabloid," Soonvald writes. "But things worked out differently. Merging with Delfi bought (the print edition of!) Eesti Päevaleht time while lending credibility to the website, and together the foundation for the world's fastest growth of digital subscriptions was laid – over 100,000 digital subscribers is what allowed [owner] Delfi Meedia (part of Ekspress Grupp – ed.) to make a rational and future-oriented decision and discontinue the print part of Eesti Päevaleht."

"Journalistic content is locked in an increasingly fierce battle with fake news, propaganda, influencers and AI-generated content. /.../ Things are just as cutthroat when it comes to advertising revenue, and the Estonian state needs to remain vigilant to make sure naivety, interest groups and major U.S. or Chinese-owned social media platforms couldn't simply walk away with our advertising money. The state has been utterly powerless in this regard so far. But every euro that leaves Estonia also affects our journalism," Soonvald writes.

"Add to this the government's irresistible temptation to hike the VAT rate on media publications from the current 5 percent to 9 percent – swimming upstream from the rest of Europe – to generate just €4 million in revenue, and one realizes that the availability of free speech is under siege from all directions. Too many troubling trends, decisions and circumstances are coming together," the editor-in-chief remarks.

Eesti Päevaleht has been published since June 5, 1995 and was created after the merger of the Hommikuleht, Päevaleht and Rahva Hääl newspapers. Eesti Päevaleht has been owned by Hans H. Luik's Ekspress Grupp since 2011. Prior to that year, the newspaper was owned in equal parts by Ekspress Grupp and businessman Jaan Manitski's firm Vivarone OÜ.

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