The most important responsibility we have as a news organization is to be there for our community when it matters most.
For the past week, as the people of Atlanta navigated geysers on the streets of Midtown and many were forced to boil their drinking water, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has provided around-the-clock coverage of the developments.
Our reporters and photographers were on the scene of the water main breaks, in the corridors of City Hall and out in our communities. They continue to survey the damage, capture the impact and document the recovery. Our coverage has been available on the AJC mobile app and AJC.com, in the daily newspaper and across the AJC’s social media accounts.
While the emergency has passed, questions remain. We will stay on the story to be sure you get the information you need in the coming days. As citizens of Atlanta, you deserve to know how something like this could happen and what’s being done to ensure it never happens again.
In my monthly notes to you, I’ve outlined our mission: to be the most essential and engaging news source for the people of Atlanta, Georgia and the South. Being essential in your lives means being there when you need us. And we are committed to being there not just in Atlanta, but across the state.
In May, I had a chance to spend the day in Macon with Joe Kovac, our new bureau chief, and a few of our colleagues. We met with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, toured the legendary Capricorn Records studio, met the one and only Karla Redding, walked through the site of the future Otis Redding Center for the Arts and spent time with community leaders, as well as political and business leaders. In the evening, we hosted a live taping of the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” podcast in the legendary Capitol Theatre, featuring interviews with University of Georgia System Chancellor (and former Governor) Sonny Perdue, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller and Mayor Pro Tem Seth Clark. Throughout the day, I was struck by the number of people who thanked us for the AJC’s renewed presence in Macon and offered sincere advice for how we can best serve their community.
We had a similar reception in Athens a few weeks earlier, when we visited that city with our new bureau chief Fletcher Page. Our time in Athens was capped by another live “Politically Georgia” from the UGA Chapel, featuring a wide-ranging interview with Gov. Brian Kemp.
In July, we will take “Politically Georgia” on the road to Savannah, along with bureau chief Adam Van Brimmer. I hope I’ll have an opportunity to meet many of you while we are there. We recently released our Savannah Dining Guide, and I’m looking forward to sampling the best bites in the city.
We have a couple of other exciting events on the calendar I want to be sure you know about. We have partnered with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream to host our UATL Movie Night on June 25 at the Plaza Theatre. This month’s film is “Love & Basketball,” and I hope you’ll join us there to watch the movie and meet some of the Dream.
And of course, July 4 is the day of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. This year, we’ve partnered closely with our parent company, Cox Enterprises, and our friends at the Atlanta Track Club, and we will be livestreaming coverage of the race exclusively on AJC.com. If you haven’t registered yet, sign up now, before it’s too late. The deadline is June 15. And, if you’re planning to run or walk, check out our comprehensive guide, which is packed with inspirational stories and tips that can help you get in shape for the race.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the AJC, and thanks to each of you who have taken the time to write to let me know how the AJC can deliver the most value to you, our subscribers.
Until next month …
Keep Going,
Andrew Morse
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