The Atlanta Journal-Constitution announced Tuesday evening that it will lay off approximately 50 employees — about 15% of its total workforce — as part of cost-cutting measures to redirect resources toward growth and its ongoing digital transformation.
Roughly half of the cuts will come from the newsroom, the organization's largest department. Affected employees were notified late Tuesday, with the Midtown offices closed Wednesday for remote work.
President and Publisher Andrew Morse described the layoffs as difficult but necessary to accelerate revenue growth and ensure agility in serving audiences. "We've made these difficult decisions because we believe they will best position us to continue to accelerate the AJC’s growth," Morse said. He emphasized recent heavy investments in editorial, product, and business teams have yielded results, positioning the AJC stronger in the market and community.
The moves follow the AJC's shift to a fully digital operation: it published its final print edition on Dec. 31, 2025, after 157 years, and now delivers news via AJC.com, its mobile app, videos, podcasts, social media, and ePaper.
Morse stressed Cox Enterprises remains committed, with no slowdown in investment. "We are not taking our foot off the gas," he said. Recent efforts include a robust video team, new bureaus in Athens, Macon, and Savannah, expanded coverage in business, high school sports, and politics, plus the launch of UATL for Atlanta's Black culture. The AJC continues recruiting for open roles, including a recent hire for food editor.
Editor-in-Chief Leroy Chapman affirmed the newsroom's strength: "This is still a strong and viable newsroom able to meet the moment we’re in." He noted the AJC retains deep talent and will shift some responsibilities to priority areas while staying committed to community and state coverage. Enhanced data and analytics provide better insights into subscriber interests.
Morse expressed confidence in sustaining growth through focused, distinctive journalism. "We think we have the right focus from our teams," he said. "What we are doing is continuing to focus those teams on the most distinctive work possible."