The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to end print, move to digital only in 2026

Just a programming note before we get started. There will be no Poynter Report next Monday and Tuesday as we celebrate the long holiday weekend. The newsletter will return next Wednesday.

Now to the big media news of the day.

One of America’s best-known newspapers, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, made a stunning announcement on Thursday: it will stop publishing its print edition at the end of 2025 and start 2026 as a digital-only product.

Andrew Morse, president and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said in a statement, “The entire news industry is being upended by rapidly evolving technology and consumer behavior. We knew this day would come and have been planning for it. Many more people engage with our digital platforms and products today than with our print edition, and that shift is only accelerating. Fully embracing our digital future will ensure our investment in distinctive journalism will have the greatest impact for years to come.”

Maybe this day has been coming, but it still shocked many in the newspaper industry. The AJC;s print newspaper goes back to 1868.

Morse told The New York Times’ Katie Robertson, “The fact is, printing newspapers and putting them in trucks and driving them around and delivering them on people’s front stoops has not been the most effective way to distribute the news in a very long time.”

The AJC isn’t alone, of course. New Jersey’s Star-Ledger stopped printing earlier this year. Other news organizations have also stopped printing daily, including the Poynter-owner Tampa Bay Times — which in 2020 reduced its print publishing to twice weekly: Wednesdays and Sundays.

So will the AJC’s decision to cut out print altogether be the start of a trend?

My colleague Rick Edmonds, Poynter’s media business analyst, writes, “I wouldn’t look for a stampede. Cutbacks to just a few days a week or Sunday-only have become common in the industry, but quitting print altogether is not. That’s because Sunday papers typically remain profitable, popular with advertisers and a segment of readers. Despite steep declines that show no signs of moderating in 2025, print still contributes a meaningful share of revenue (half or more at many outlets) since it commands much higher rates among both subscribers and advertisers.”

Edmonds added, “On the digital revenue side, the case is shakier. As Morse told the Times, like nearly all newspaper digital outlets and many that are digital only, AJC’s traffic from search has taken a huge hit over the last year. Facebook is phasing down news on its newsfeed, Google’s algorithms aren’t what they used to be, and even in the early days of artificial intelligence, it has clearly displaced searches that would lead to news outlets.”

So, yes, it’s long been known that the business of print needs some reevaluation. And you can bet other papers around the country are taking a closer look.

But what about the audience?

Certainly, cutting out the print edition will be an adjustment for many AJC readers. Anytime a newspaper cuts print editions, you hear from those who love “the feel of holding the paper” and long for the slow mornings on their porch while reading the Sunday edition with their cup of coffee.

But those sentiments feel outdated, if not tired.

Times have changed. It’s 2025. Digital journalism offers so much more than a print edition: clearer visuals, video, audio, better graphics, unlimited space, interactive features and so much more. Digital also offers timeliness, and the ability to change as the news changes. Those who read print are getting news that is at least 12 to 24 hours old and is stagnant.

However, if a news outlet is going to go all in on digital, especially to the dismay of print lovers, the audience experience must be flawless. That means no delays logging in, no issues using the app and no hurdles navigating the site.

And, needless to say, the journalism must be elite.

In a letter to readers, Morse wrote, “After 157 years, we did not make this decision lightly; for many of us, reading the paper with our morning coffee is as ingrained in our routine as brushing our teeth or scrambling eggs. Embracing our digital future means we can focus every resource and every ounce of energy on producing world-class journalism and delivering it to each of you in the most impactful way. The fact is, many more people engage with our digital platforms and products today than with our print edition, and that shift is only accelerating. I don’t need to tell you how quickly the media landscape is evolving. For you, and for us, holding onto the paper can bring a sense of comfort in a world of unrelenting change. But we cannot allow that to hold us back.”

I applaud everything Morse says. But now AJC has to back up the claims he made and deliver a product that’s worth consuming, regardless of how that product is delivered.

Here are all the details of the move from AJC.

A new EP for the “CBS Evening News”

Kim Harvey has been named executive producer of the “CBS Evening News,” becoming the second woman to lead the network’s evening newscast.

Harvey joined CBS News in 2017 after stints at MSNBC, Fox News and CNN. She has spent her entire time at CBS News working on the “Evening News,” going from producer to senior producer to senior broadcast producer.

Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, said in a statement, “Kim brings a sharp news sense and terrific track record of producing from across the broadcast and cable networks. She is a well-respected newsroom leader and her relationships with our on-air talent, producers and reporters run deep. Her career at the ‘CBS Evening News’ makes her the ideal candidate and I’m pleased to continue working with her on showcasing our extraordinary reporting and storytelling every night.”

Harvey takes over a newscast that saw a major overhaul at the start of this year. Longtime anchor Norah O’Donnell left to do other projects at CBS. John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois become co-anchors with Margaret Brennan contributing from Washington. CBS also tinkered with the format, choosing longer, more in-depth stories. But the newscast remains in third place, failing to close the gap between itself and “ABC World News Tonight” and the “NBC Nightly News.”

The Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio wrote, “Harvey’s appointment is likely a precursor to larger changes at the program, including a possible return to a single anchor and a more traditional approach to the newscast. She was a trusted lieutenant of O’Donnell during her run.”

Harvey also takes over just as CBS gets new owners, who have promised to hire an ombudsman to monitor the network’s news coverage for fairness.

Making it worse

ESPN just can’t seem to do the right thing when it comes to its top NBA announcing team.

Let’s start here: ESPN/ABC completely messed up two summers ago by laying off top NBA analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. Those two, along with play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, had called 15 NBA Finals and were the best announcing team in NBA history.

Whether it was a cost-cutting measure or something else, ESPN made the wrong call. If they didn’t trip over themselves then, they could’ve avoided two years of headaches, including the latest stumble this week.

After they let go of Van Gundy and Jackson, they promoted Doris Burke, which was a good move. She’s smart, enthusiastic, charismatic and a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster. But then they somehow made everything worse by also bringing in former NBA coach Doc Rivers, who everyone on the planet except ESPN knew was going to return to coaching sooner rather than later. Rivers didn’t even get through one season before he went back to coaching, and that left ESPN scrambling for a replacement.

They put former player JJ Redick next to Breen and Burke. They called one NBA Finals, but then Redick, who everyone except ESPN knew was going to become a coach at some point, got hired to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

So once again ESPN had to find another top-team analyst. They settled on Richard Jefferson, a former NBA star who was already at ESPN. Breen, Jefferson and Burke spent one season as ESPN’s top NBA team to mostly mixed reviews. That sparked rumors that yet another change was coming.

On Thursday, ESPN made that change. And it’s Burke, who was forced to work alongside three analysts in two seasons, who took the fall. ESPN announced it had signed Burke to a contract extension, while also bouncing her off the top team. She is being replaced by ESPN analyst Tim Legler.

Legler, who has been at ESPN for 25 years, is good, and ESPN will be fine. But it feels as if Burke is getting a raw deal. Yes, there’s no question that the Jefferson-Burke pairing struggled to find the right chemistry. But what do you expect considering the brief time they were together and all the changes Burke was put through? ESPN should have given it one more season. And if a change was to be made, Burke should have been the last one to go.

You even get the feeling that ESPN knows Burke deserved better. They signed her to an extension, and, in their official announcement, they seemed to go out their way to praise her, writing, “Burke will continue to call high-profile NBA games on ESPN and ABC, including the NBA Sunday Showcase series. Her assignments will include full slates of games throughout the regular season and the NBA Playoffs.”

Media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review

• The Washington Post’s Scott Nover with “Judge blocks Kari Lake, tasked to dismantle VOA, from firing its director.”
• This is a sobering piece in Mediaite from Alan Friedman: “Why America Risks Becoming a ‘Presidential Dictatorship.’”
• This package — from the reporting to the videos to the graphics to the design — is elite. The New York Times’ Amy Graff and K.K. Rebecca Lai with “How a Beautiful Summer Day on Lake Tahoe Suddenly Turned Deadly.”
• The BBC’s Anna Whittaker reports on a disturbing attack on the free press in “Reform council boss bans local newspaper's reporters.” And here’s Guardian media editor Michael Savage with “Reform council’s Nottingham Post ban a ‘massive attack on local democracy.’”
• Variety’s Todd Spangler with “YouTube TV Inks Deal With Pro-Trump Outlet OAN as Contract for Fox News Is Set to Expire.”
• In the tweet of the day, veteran political journalist Chuck Todd tweets about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “There are so many 5-alarm fires erupting with (or set by) this administration, it can be hard to focus on which fire is the most concerning.  But if non-MAGA senate GOPers can’t stand up for the health of Americans against Kennedy and his cultish staffers, we are risking the lives of millions. COUNTRY FIRST PLEASE!”
• And here’s Media Matters’ Matt Gertz with “Fox helps Kennedy Jr. spin the CDC purge.”
• Here are the winners of the Online Journalism Awards.
• In a deeply-reported exclusive, The Washington Post’s Will Hobson, Albert Samaha and Sam Fortier write about the sad story of the late Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, in “NFL owner secretly relapsed, got ketamine from private doctor before death.”
• The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis writes about the former ESPN anchor’s reunion on “SportsCenter” in “Rich Eisen Comes Home.”
• Another “Saturday Night Live” cast departure. Variety’s Ethan Shanfeld writes that Michael Longfellow is leaving after three seasons.
• For Forbes, Mark Joyella with “MSNBC’s Ali Vitali Adds Capitol Hill Role As Network Makes Hires From CNN, Peacock.”
• Finally, be sure to check out the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast” with my guest — veteran media reporter Oliver Darcy.

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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected].
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