We’ve all read about the decline of local news. We’ve seen the reports that thousands of newspapers have vanished from their communities and that large swaths of America have become news deserts. Proud institutions that were once the lifeblood of major American cities have ceased to exist, while others are mere shadows of what they once were.
We know consumer behavior is shifting, we understand we’re living in a digital world and we are all too familiar with how social media platforms have gutted the advertising business that was once the foundation of local journalism on the printed page, on the radio and on television.
And yet, despite all this, local news outlets continue to show up every day, ensuring we the people have access to truth, to facts and to the first draft of history.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will always be there for our community, especially when the stakes are high.
This was an historic week, one that our team at The AJC has prepared for over the past two-and-a-half years. That’s the power of local news.
Our legal affairs reporter Bill Rankin has worked for the AJC for more than 30 years, longer than the 26 his father Jim spent working for the paper. It is safe to say no reporter knows Georgia’s courts better than Bill, although his colleague, Tamar Hallerman, has impressively kept pace with Bill’s expert reporting, with her tireless work covering the Fulton County investigation. Bill and Tamar’s reporting was bolstered by The AJC’s world-class team of political reporters, which includes Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy. Senior editor Shannon McCaffrey is leading our coverage.
Our work on this story began when Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis announced she was investigating election interference in February 2021. That announcement came just weeks after a recording was leaked to The AJC and The Washington Post of a phone call former President Donald Trump placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked the Republican official to “find” 11,780 votes, enough to swing the state -- and the election -- in his favor. Since that time, The AJC has published about 300 stories related to the investigation.
But that’s not all. Our coverage this week included timelines, biographies of the key players and access to key documents and primary source material. Our live blog updated every twist and turn of the story as the indictments were handed up in the early morning hours on Tuesday. Bill, Tamar and Shannon have devoted Season 10 of the award-winning Breakdown podcast to the Fulton County investigation and they recorded Episode 2 on the fly at 1:30 a.m.
Our aim was to ensure that we provided the most comprehensive resource on this historic story to our community and across the country.
The political responses to the indictments were predictable.
Former President Trump railed against the indictments in a fundraising email. Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp again pushed back on Trump, maintaining the election was not stolen and that there was no evidence of fraud. Trump loyalist, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, lashed out at Kemp and said she couldn’t rule out possibly running for the Senate in 2026 (potentially in a Republican primary against Kemp, should he run). She also said she would consider serving in Trump’s cabinet, or even as vice president if the former president returns to the White House. Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock told Axios he believed no one was above the law and that Trump should not be treated differently than any other person.
We reported each of those reactions to provide you with a complete view of the political fallout.
Our job is to present the facts and to provide you with a thorough understanding of a complex legal process that will take months to resolve.
And we will continue to do that every day, as this story plays out over the coming weeks and months in the backdrop of a consequential presidential election.
That is the power of local news.
The AJC’s mission is to be the most essential and engaging source of news for the people of Atlanta, of Georgia and the South. It is a mission we take very seriously, especially at a time when Georgia, again, is likely to play a pivotal role in deciding the next president of the United States.
In the coming weeks and months, we will embark on an ambitious journey to transform the AJC from a storied daily newspaper into a modern media company that serves as the beating heart of one of America’s most vibrant cities. We’re investing in more reporting resources, innovative new products and expanded video, audio and live event capabilities. As we transform, our responsibility to deliver the most essential news to you, our subscribers, will always remain our North Star.
We are grateful to our community for continuing to turn to us, on all of our platforms and the printed page, when it matters most.
Andrew Morse, president and publisher.
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