After 157 years of delivering news to Atlanta’s doorsteps, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has announced it will cease its printed edition at the end of 2025, marking a historic shift for one of the South’s most storied newspapers. The move, revealed to staff and subscribers on August 28, 2025, signals the AJC’s full commitment to a digital-first operation—a transformation that’s been years in the making, but will now become reality as of January 1, 2026.
AJC President and Publisher Andrew Morse addressed the change in a company-wide town hall and in a letter to subscribers, emphasizing that the decision was made not out of financial necessity but as a strategic pivot to ensure the paper’s continued relevance and growth. “We made this decision from a position of strength,” Morse said in an interview, as reported by SaportaReport. “It was the right decision. It was the right decision for journalism. It was the right decision for our people. And it was the right decision for the business.”
The AJC’s print edition has remained profitable, a fact Morse and other leaders have reiterated in multiple interviews. Yet, as Morse explained to Rough Draft Atlanta, the rationale behind the move was about optimizing resources: “Every dollar, every person, and every ounce of bandwidth should be focused on the journalism and then getting it to people in the most effective way possible.” On election night in 2024, for example, the AJC’s website drew an impressive 450,000 visitors seeking real-time results and analysis, while just 24,000 households received the next morning’s print edition—already more than half a day out of date.
The AJC’s journey to this digital crossroads has been marked by substantial investment and strategic changes over the past three years. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, millions have been poured into expanding reporting capabilities, technology, and digital infrastructure. The paper has grown its business and politics teams, opened new bureaus in Athens, Macon, and Savannah, and launched a new video content team. It even returned to offices in Midtown Atlanta after years in the suburbs, a move that signaled renewed commitment to the city and its communities.
Ownership has also played a role in shaping the AJC’s trajectory. Cox Enterprises, which acquired The Atlanta Journal in 1939 and The Atlanta Constitution in 1950 before merging them in 2001, has invested heavily in the AJC’s digital transformation. Cox chairman and CEO Alex Taylor expressed a bittersweet pride in the transition: “I’m proud of our team for making these decisions, as much as I will miss the nostalgia of seeing the paper in my driveway every morning.” Taylor also pointed to environmental benefits, noting the reduction in use of trees, plastic, water, and carbon that comes with ending the print run.
The move will not come without pain. About 30 full- and part-time jobs involved in designing and distributing the print newspaper are expected to be cut, as confirmed by multiple sources including TheWrap and the AJC itself. Morse acknowledged the human cost, but insisted the focus had to remain on the future of journalism, not the logistics of delivery. “The money needs to go into journalism,” he told SaportaReport. “I love journalism more than I love newspapers.”
As of now, about 40,000 subscribers still receive the print edition—a far cry from the more than 600,000 at its peak two decades ago, but still a significant and loyal base. The AJC has pledged to support these readers through the transition, launching a “white glove” customer service effort to help long-time print subscribers access digital content. The digital e-edition, a facsimile of the printed paper, will remain available via the AJC website, app, and email, ensuring that the familiar format isn’t lost completely.
For many, the end of the print era is an emotional milestone. One longtime reader, quoted by Rough Draft Atlanta, likened the announcement to losing elderly parents: “I knew they were going to die, but I just still felt so sad.” Such nostalgia is powerful, but Morse and his team are betting that the future of news consumption is digital, and that the AJC must adapt or risk fading into irrelevance.
The AJC’s digital ambitions are nothing short of bold. Morse set a “North-star” goal of reaching 500,000 paid digital subscribers by the end of 2026—a target that, while still aspirational, has proven challenging. Growth has been slower than initially planned, with current projections showing a 35 percent increase in digital subscriptions from December 2023 to December 2025. Still, Morse remains optimistic: “We still think that’s achievable.”
Industry-wide, the AJC is hardly alone in making such a transition. Newspapers across the U.S. have cut print days or gone fully digital, often as a cost-saving measure. But as Morse explained, for the AJC the move is about investing in growth and direct engagement with readers and advertisers. “Most companies are now living in a digital world and appreciate the ability to have a more direct engagement with their customers,” he said, while also acknowledging that print remains important to some advertisers and that the company is working closely with them during the transition.
The AJC is not ruling out future print ventures entirely. Morse and other leaders have floated the idea of a monthly print “review” or a bi-weekly magazine, though no concrete decisions have been made. The focus, for now, is on the digital product and on leveraging technology to deliver news through a variety of platforms—website, mobile app, video, podcasts, and more. An updated mobile app is slated for launch this fall, promising a customizable experience for subscribers, and the company is investing in events to foster civic conversations and community engagement.
Throughout the rest of 2025, the AJC will celebrate its print legacy and meet with subscribers and non-subscribers across Georgia as part of its “Substance and Soul of the South” campaign. Morse, who splits his time between Atlanta and New York, has made it clear that the AJC’s mission remains unchanged: to hold the powerful accountable, inform and entertain, and serve as the most essential and engaging news source for Atlanta, Georgia, and the South.
As the final print edition rolls off the presses on December 31, 2025, the AJC steps boldly into an all-digital future—one shaped by changing reader habits, technological innovation, and a steadfast belief in the enduring value of quality journalism.
