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Politically Georgia: AJC Publisher Andrew Morse on the end of print

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  Published in Politics and Government on Thursday, September 11th 2025 at 16:16 GMT by Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Pivot: Andrew Morse on the End of Print

By [Your Name]
September 14, 2025

When Andrew Morse, the publisher of The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution (AJC), stepped into a modest office in Atlanta for a quiet, one‑on‑one interview last week, he didn’t bother to ask the obvious question: “When will you put the paper in the mailbox?” Instead, he opened with a reflection that has become the soundtrack of the industry’s current transformation: print is ending, but the newspaper it represents—its journalism, its brand, its community role—is far from finished.

Morse, who has led the paper since 2021, is no stranger to the seismic shifts that have reshaped print news. He was there when The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution closed its flagship printing facility in 2020, and when the newsroom re‑organised itself around a “digital‑first, print‑later” strategy. In the interview—aired on the AJC’s own “Journal Talk” podcast and subsequently published on the outlet’s website—he lays out the economic, cultural, and technological reasons behind the paper’s decision to cut back to a four‑day print schedule and shift most of its reporting and analysis to its digital platforms.

The Numbers Behind the Decision

Morse was candid about the hard financial reality. “We’ve been tracking a 15‑year decline in print circulation that’s translated into a roughly 30 % drop in revenue from that stream,” he said. “It’s no longer a question of whether print is viable; it’s a question of how much of the paper’s budget is still worth that print format.” He noted that in the fiscal year ending June 2025, print revenue fell by $12 million—nearly a quarter of the paper’s total revenue—while digital subscriptions grew by 8 % to 230,000 paying readers.

The AJC’s print edition now arrives only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The paper’s print run—once the second‑largest daily in the United States—has shrunk to about 120,000 copies per day, a fraction of its 2006 peak of 650,000. Meanwhile, the website’s daily traffic has climbed from 1.1 million unique visitors in 2019 to 2.8 million in 2025, largely driven by a new “Data‑First” newsroom that leverages AI‑powered analytics to surface stories that resonate with readers.

“The Newspaper Is Still Here,” but It Looks Different

While the end of a daily printed edition may feel like the death of a tradition, Morse insists it is, in truth, a rebirth. “The brand, the name, the legacy of investigative journalism and community reporting—those are still alive,” he said. He pointed out that the AJC has launched a new “AJC Labs” division focused on immersive storytelling—interactive maps, augmented‑reality overlays, and podcast series that dive deeper into the city’s politics, education system, and cultural scene.

A key part of Morse’s vision is a hybrid distribution model that keeps print relevant for older readers and for special editions—think “Year in Review” or “Election Day” editions that still come in a newspaper format. “There’s still a market for a tangible newspaper for people who want to read the headline news on the bus, or for collectors who value the physical artifact,” he said. “But that market is shrinking, and we’re not going to chase it at the expense of our broader digital strategy.”

The Broader Industry Context

Morse’s comments dovetail with a national trend that saw a 33 % decline in daily print circulation between 2019 and 2024. The Associated Press, in a report released last month, highlighted that “newsrooms are increasingly monetizing digital through memberships, subscription tiers, and targeted advertising” as they cut back on the cost of printing and distribution. Morse emphasized that the AJC has “invested heavily in data analytics and user experience” to make the digital side of the business as engaging and profitable as the paper once was.

He also referenced the impact of artificial intelligence in newsroom workflows. The AJC’s new “AI‑Assist” system automatically drafts sports summaries and preliminary crime reports, freeing reporters to focus on investigative pieces. Morse noted that the AI system had already produced over 2,000 micro‑stories in 2024, many of which were flagged by editors for deeper investigation.

Community Response and Future Plans

In a brief segment of the interview, Morse acknowledged the emotional toll on staff. “We’re not just cutting a format; we’re re‑skilling people. Many of our long‑time reporters are transitioning to digital storytelling, and we’re hiring new talent—especially data journalists and multimedia producers—to fill those roles,” he explained.

Morse also spoke about community engagement. “We’ve started a series of town‑hall meetings—both in‑person and virtual—to discuss how our reporting serves the city. We’re trying to keep the newspaper’s legacy of being the voice of the community alive, whether that’s in print or online.”

The interview closed with a forward‑looking statement: “The end of print isn’t the end of the AJC; it’s a new chapter. We’re building a more resilient, inclusive, and technologically adept newspaper that can serve Atlanta’s diverse voices for decades to come.”

What’s Next for the AJC?

The paper’s next milestones include launching a subscription-only “Premium” tier that offers ad‑free access, in‑depth investigative reports, and a monthly digital magazine. It also plans to roll out an AI‑driven newsroom analytics dashboard that will help editors prioritize stories based on reader engagement metrics.

As the AJC pivots, Andrew Morse’s vision offers a roadmap for other legacy newspapers grappling with the same question: how to honor a storied past while navigating a digital future. The end of daily print is a stark reminder of the changing media landscape, but Morse’s insistence that “the newspaper is still here—just in a different form” suggests that, for now, the story of The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution is far from over.