Greg Macafee, Tribune Chronicle / Vindicator editor

For as long as the profession has been around, journalists have provided news for their readers in print form. Communities in the Mahoning Valley have had their history preserved by the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator since the early 1800s. It’s our goal to provide the best possible coverage for the Valley, delivering the news in the most balanced way possible, along with telling the story of its residents. And we’ve always done that in print.

However, news has circulated in multiple ways. From print to radio to television. Now, ever since the creation of the internet, new mediums have formed, and readers can get their news anywhere.

I’ve always been a purist. I love the feeling of having a newspaper in my hand. It was one of the many reasons I got into this business in the first place. While I read our stories when we put the newspaper together, I always grab both newspapers when I come into the office each morning just to feel the newspaper in my hand.

It’s a one-of-a-kind feeling.

Throughout my career, I’ve also made it a habit to grab a copy of the papers that are important to me. The first time I had a story on the front page was back in Arizona, and I still have it. I also wrote a centerpiece story about some of the top high school quarterbacks in Phoenix at that time. That list included current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, who has entered April’s NFL Draft that will take place in Detroit. You can bet I still have that paper. I also keep all of our High School football tabs and have copies of the newspapers with the “Built at Mollenkopf” series I did last summer.

There are simply too many instances where I’ve decided to keep newspapers just because I enjoy looking back at the history they preserve, but times have changed. Newspapers are constantly switching to more of a digital approach and disregarding their print product because of how readers consume their news.

According to a November article from the Pew Research Center, the vast majority of adults in the United States get at least some of their news from digital devices, and the online space has become a host for the digital homes of both legacy news outlets and new “born on the web” news outlets.

Those outlets are now and always have been finding ways to reach their readers differently. In an audit of 105 outlets in October, 74% of high-traffic news outlets, which include both digital-native news publishers and “legacy” news organizations such as the New York Times and Fox News, said they have an app on either iOS or Android platforms, while 67% have an app for both platforms.

According to the Pew Research Center’s audit, news outlets are adopting other digital outreach and engagement methods, such as newsletters, podcasts or social media. Of the news outlets, 92% use newsletters, 76% publish podcasts and more than 90% of outlets utilize X, formerly Twitter, Instagram or YouTube to distribute news.

Despite this trend across the profession, the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator remain dedicated to providing top-tier newspapers for our readers every day, and that’s where our primary focus remains. However, I wanted to inform you of some of our digital products that enable our readers to find their news in multiple places.

First, if you prefer to read your news in newspaper format on your computer or tablet, you can utilize our All Access E-Editon on both websites at www.tribtoday.com and www.vindy.com. We also post our stories to both websites for you to read in a more traditional online format.

If you prefer to have your news delivered directly to your email in the morning, you can sign up for our newsletters on both websites. You will receive an email with the top headlines from that day’s paper to kick off your morning. It’s a rather convenient option that gathers all our stories in one place.

Lastly, you can find us on Facebook at Tribune Chronicle, Warren OH and on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.

As we move into a new chapter, we look to continue to deliver the best possible product, both in print and on the web.

Have an interesting story? Contact Greg Macafee by email at gmacafee@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @greg_macafee