I try not to get emotional with these appeals asking for reader support of East Cobb News, but as 2026 gets underway, it’s been hard for me not to.
As we rang in the new year, the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution—where I proudly worked for nearly two decades—published its last print edition.
As I contemplated the end of a 157-year-run—the AJC will continue in all-digital form—I had to fight off some tears.
During my time there as an online editor I realized that the future of local news most likely would be best reshaped in the virtual world that we’ve all gotten very accustomed to and don’t even think about today.
Still, it was hard letting go of what that world of print was like, not just for me as a journalist, but for readers who loved to page through each day’s bundle of top stories, sports standings, obituaries, comics and crossword puzzles.
My late mother was a longtime subscriber, and I chalk up my love for reading and getting into this profession largely because of that. Those daily newspaper rituals became a passion, and the curiosities inspired by reading general-interest news became an obsession for serving communities.
It wasn’t just about keeping up with the news, but also opening up a personal community gathering place. I sat and read the paper with my morning coffee and breakfast, at my leisure.
I loved taking a good bit of Sunday to work my way through the big weekend edition, from the big investigations on Page A1 to the book reviews to a nifty weekly feature about all the many little communities across Georgia.
I will always call it The Paper. Most of us who worked in places like that always will.
That’s what the employees of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are feeling this week after learning that their newspaper, 240 years young, will be shutting down entirely in May. There won’t even be a digital edition; everyone will lose their jobs.
Most of all, a major metro region will be without a comprehensive print or online outlet.
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I wish my former AJC colleagues the best in their new world. I pray for those soon to be displaced at the Pittsburgh paper; it’s gut-wrenching to lose a job doing what you love the most. I know; I’ve been there.
At the really local news level, however, there are some different dynamics. Our friends at The Marietta Daily Journal—where I first worked in this industry more than than 40 years ago—are marking that paper’s 160th anniversary this year.
In the eight-plus years since I started East Cobb News, I have tried to keep alive the spirit of the best of the print tradition while embarking on the necessary task of providing the news for readers in this very different world. That’s why the original subtitle was “Local News for the Way You Live Today.”
Now, it’s “Discover the Power of Local,” because since this site was launched, I’ve seen that new vision in action, and it indeed has been powerful in this community.
That’s because it’s community-driven, focused on the needs of readers and the local businesses that we promote. I call it hyperlocal, because we can be flexible and adapt more easily to their demands than the larger corporations.
You have responded so well to what we have done over the years at East Cobb News; now we need you to respond in an even more significant way.
I have come to you numerous times before, asking for continued reader support to help us keep giving you the local news that you love. It’s with a sense of optimism about continuing to provide solid community news coverage in East Cobb.
THAT TIME HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN NOW.
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Whether it’s stories featuring our original reporting, or others in our community passing along news about local events and activities, East Cobb News is devoted to what’s valued the most by readers here.
It’s our stock-in-trade, and for eight-plus years we’ve been building that community trust, one story at a time.
We do this without charging readers, because we believe reliable local news should be accessible to all.
At East Cobb News, nobody else does what we do, every day.
It’s our passion and our pride to give you the local news that makes a difference in this community.
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Thank you East Cobb! And long live local news!
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