At the turn of the century, if you were told that only one of these daily newspapers would still print in 25 years – The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Mobile Press-Register, The Birmingham News, The Newark Star-Ledger, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Commercial Dispatch – which would you have picked?

Which would you imagine would still be standing by the end of 2025?

This week brought a surprising answer.

Word came Thursday that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) will stop providing a print edition at the end of the year and go completely digital, marking a dramatic change for a storied newspaper that was founded just a few years after the end of the Civil War.

Atlanta will soon become the largest city in the U.S. without a print newspaper. The Star-Ledger stopped its print edition in February, and others on that list ceased print publication over the last decade.

But you can still get a print edition of The Dispatch, something we have been doing for more than 103 years.

Going into 2024, the Dispatch was just one of 1,033 newspapers in the U.S. that still offer a print edition.

The century has not been kind to the traditional newspaper model. An estimated 1,800 American newspapers have folded since 2000. Unfortunately, in many of those cities, no other form of reliable news has taken the place of the lost newspaper.

In larger markets, digital platforms are sometimes able to replace lost print editions. Sometimes, these are new online publications like Mississippi Today and The Daily Memphian, and in other cases, print newspapers have abandoned print for digital. The newspapers in many large Alabama cities have been closed and rolled into AL.com, for example.

The Dispatch doesn’t hold on to its print edition out of stubborn nostalgia. Ink on paper is incredibly powerful. And, thanks to our readers, subscribers and advertisers, it’s profitable.

You have options on where you get your news and where your businesses run their ads. We thank you for your support.

Your support makes possible the kind of reporting many communities no longer enjoy. In recent weeks, stories that might never have come to light were reported only because of The Dispatch. Your support plays a role in that.

While we understand that digital has become the preferred format for many news readers, there is something about the daily rhythm and routine of reporting, packaging and printing news that keeps our focus sharp. The printed newspaper is a fine tradition that reflects a special relationship with readers.

So, if you were asked which newspaper would still be standing in print at the end of 2025, the answer is The Commercial Dispatch, thanks to you.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.