The Last Printed Flint Journal Is Coming, and It Feels Strange

Growing up in the 80s, I was absolutely addicted to local media. Not only was I falling in love with radio at a ridiculously young age, but my dad was the Opinion Page Editor at The Flint Journal.

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So, from the late 80s into the early 90s, I loved going to work with him and seeing how everything happened. And, mostly, without computers.

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From the typewritten stories and hand-printed page layouts to the massive printing presses, I was completely blown away by the whole process. And now, we're coming up on the end of a pretty significant era.

The Last Printed Flint Journal Will Arrive December 6

The Flint Journal and seven other Michigan newspapers have announced they will publish their final printed editions on Sunday, December 6, 2026.

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MLive Media Group says all eight newspapers will continue online. That includes The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News, The Bay City Times, The Ann Arbor News, The Grand Rapids Press, the Jackson Citizen Patriot, the Kalamazoo Gazette and the Muskegon Chronicle.

The Flint Journal's Local Journalism Will Continue Online

The company says the decision reflects a major shift in how people now get their news. More than 99% of MLive's audience accesses its content through digital formats. And, to be clear, the journalism isn't going away.

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MLive says its roughly 100 journalists will continue reporting, and the traditional newspaper brands will remain available in online formats. Readers will still be able to access local news through MLive.com, apps, social media, newsletters and digital newspaper editions.

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But for anyone who grew up grabbing the paper off the porch or flipping through those giant Sunday editions, this news still hits a little differently. And, in my case, I remember wandering around The Flint Journal newsroom as a kid and watching those enormous presses roll.

Yeah... this one feels a little weird.

End of a Major Era for Flint and Genesee County

I completely understand why it's happening. The world has changed, and that's just the reality of the media business. People are reading news differently now, and newspapers have been adapting to that reality for years.

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But December 6 is still going to mark the end of something pretty special here in Flint and Genesee County. The last printed Flint Journal. Man, I never thought I'd see that day.