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‘I Love Print, but I Love Journalism More’: Meet Andrew Morse ’96

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A conversation with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution publisher and former Daily Sun editor, whose newspaper will soon be digital-only

By Beth Saulnier

The New York Times headline summed it up neatly: “Atlanta Journal-Constitution to Quit Print Cold Turkey.” After nearly a century and a half, it reported in late August, the venerable Southern daily would stop producing a print edition at the end of 2025.

The shift—discontinuing print all at once, rather than reducing its frequency, as have other papers—made headlines far beyond the Times. And at the center of those stories was the journalist who ultimately owns the decision: the paper’s publisher, Andrew Morse ’96.

A former government major in Arts & Sciences who served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Sun, Morse got his professional start at ABC News, where he spent 15 years. Prior to joining the Atlanta paper, he was head of U.S. television for Bloomberg and held several positions at CNN, rising to executive vice president and chief digital officer for CNN Worldwide.

In spring 2023, Morse returned to the Hill as a Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist in Arts & Sciences.

How tough a decision was this?

When I started at the AJC in January 2023, there was a plan in place to stop printing the paper six months later. I put the brakes on that, because I didn’t think we had a viable digital product—and we have devoted ourselves for the last two years to building up a really robust one.

Over that time, we’ve grown at a pace greater than the rest of the industry: we’ve grown digital subscribers 35% and digital revenue 22%. And because we’re seeing such traction with digital, we wanted to put every resource we have into the journalism and the best delivery system for it.

Part of the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sept 7, 2025. — Part of a recent front page.

So we’ve made this decision from a position of strength: we want to take the success we’re having and accelerate it. And the best way to do that is to let go of anything that’s holding us back from investing in the future.

Were you surprised it made headlines in other publications?

I wasn’t, for two reasons. One, the AJC is an important institution, and people look to us. And two, we’re doing something that hasn’t been done yet, and taking a bold step forward.

There are print publications that are, sadly, managing decline—that have cut print or reduced its frequency to save money. This is the opposite: it’s an organization with a long-range growth strategy that’s investing heavily and producing digital results.

So I wasn’t really surprised. And it was encouraging that I heard from the publishers of at least a half-dozen major metro news organizations saying, “Thanks for leading the charge. This makes good sense for journalism and for the business.”

It seems obvious, but why is digital a better way to share information than a process that starts with cutting down trees?

Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. And the fact is, printing newspapers, putting them on delivery trucks, wrapping them in plastic bags, and driving them to people’s doorsteps—it hasn’t been the most effective way to distribute the news in a long time.

There are print publications that are, sadly, managing decline—that have cut print or reduced its frequency to save money. This is the opposite.

What I keep saying to our subscribers, the community, and others in the industry is: “I love print, but I love journalism more.” And the reality is, it’s not the medium—the actual paper—we’re attached to. It’s the journalism. This decision will enable us to invest all our money in the journalism and the best delivery system.

In the online age, how have the priorities around producing the print paper already changed?

We’re a fully digital organization—we just take some of that output and curate it in a newspaper. All of our original journalism shows up on our app, website, newsletters, and podcasts—and then, frankly, we take the best of what we do and put in the paper the next day.

Are you concerned about the potential impact on ad revenue?

We’re not. It’s one of the things that we’ve allowed to hold us back, out of fear—when the best thing we can do is offer modern, digital, and targeted advertising solutions. All the companies we work with want to reach their customers, who are living in a digital world.

The reality is, it’s not the medium—the actual paper—we’re attached to. It’s the journalism.

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How much pushback have you had from print subscribers?

I’ve received a number of lovely, thoughtful, emotional notes—and every note I get, I respond to. I know it’s sad; it’s a part of people’s daily habits. Many of them have subscribed to the AJC for decades. This will be a major change, and they feel emotional about it.

I totally understand that. What I say to them is: “I want our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to have the same emotional connection to the AJC and to our journalism as you do.”

You spent a lot of your time on the Hill at the Daily Sun—which didn’t even have a website until a year after you graduated. What was it like to put out the paper back then?

It was old school. We were still in the business of cutting and pasting stories onto flats, then dropping them off at the printer. Finally, my senior year, we got what we call electronic pagination, so we could at least lay out some pages on a computer—but we still needed to physically cut and paste with X-acto knives.

It was a bustling and thriving newsroom, and an incredible experience. We did have to stop the presses once or twice.

Do you remember why you stopped the presses?

I don’t. [He laughs.] It was a long time ago.

Andrew Morse, President and CEO of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, speaking — Morse at a ribbon-cutting event for the publication's new offices in downtown Atlanta.

Up to now, what has been your own relationship to print? Do you still subscribe to physical newspapers and magazines?

Until recently, I subscribed to five or six daily print newspapers and several magazines. I still get the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and—of course—the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in print, and I subscribe to the print editions of the Atlantic, the Economist, and Outside.

I still love print—but more days than not, I find myself putting these beloved print editions straight into the recycling bin, because I’ve already read most of the content online. So even as a journalist and a lover of print, I’m consuming far less.

More days than not, I find myself putting these beloved print editions straight into the recycling bin, because I’ve already read most of the content online.

And lastly: are you of the same mindset about books? Do you prefer e-readers to hard copies?

I refuse to read books on the Kindle. [He laughs.] I love books and I love my bookshelf.

So how do you jibe that with digital being the future of newspapers?

They’re different use cases. I’m a huge book person and a print magazine person; there’s something to be said for a “lean-back” magazine you engage with weekly or monthly.

I have a record player, but that’s another specific use case. I like vinyl for a reason, but I listen to a ton of music digitally. I don’t have a VCR or a tape deck anymore. But I do love books—and that’s one analog thing that will be in my life to stay.

(All images courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.)

Published September 12, 2025