After decades of delivering news to Lehigh Valley doorsteps, The Express-Times, an Easton-based publication, will discontinue its print edition in February 2025, making a complete shift to digital publication through lehighvalleylive.com.

The decision follows a nationwide trend of newspapers transitioning to digital-only formats as readers increasingly turn to online platforms for news consumption, according to national studies.

The publication will prioritize its digital presence, which has operated since 2008. The changes will also include a seven-day-a-week online newspaper.

Nick Falsone, the managing editor of The Express-Times, declined to comment, deferring comment to NJ Advance Media president Steve Alessi.

NJ Advance Media oversees the production of The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com. All newspapers under NJ Advance Media will eventually close their print publication.

“People in the Lehigh Valley and western NJ, as in other parts of the country, have made clear their preference for news delivered in digital forms,” Alessi wrote in an email. “For the Advance Local print newspapers, we sought to extend the print format for as long as it made economic sense. However, declining demand and rising costs rendered these print editions unsustainable.”

The transition to a digital publication affects a shrinking but still significant readership.

“It’s increasingly a smaller group, but it exists and it’s sizable,” said John Misinco, the editor of The Morning Call. “Making that move to go all digital, there’s still a lot of people who do rely on the printed product.”

The shift is also indicative of changing habits among younger readers. Cameron Cummins ‘25 highlighted how she has grown up in a generation increasingly consuming online news.

“Usually I get my news from social media, I generally don’t use actual news sources,” Cummins said. “I know that a lot of my friends also feel this way.”

While social media platforms serve as news sources for younger residents like Cummins, some local residents offered varying perspectives on the digital transition.

“I’m almost 70, and I haven’t read a newspaper in a long time,” said Anthony Approvato, a Phillipsburg, New Jersey, resident. “I get almost all my news on YouTube. But local news, I don’t get that on YouTube.”

“It’s terrible,” said Frank Giasullo, a music faculty member at Moravian University, about the closing of The Express-Times.

“Most people will probably want to deal with digital, but I like to hold a copy up,” Giasullo continued. “We have our noses stuck in screens with iPads, computers, television, and somehow all of that dulls us.”

Kathleen Parrish, an English lecturer at Lafayette who spent 17 years as a reporter for The Morning Call, saw the transition as concerning for older readers.

“I’m sad to see that there’s no longer going to be a print edition,” Parrish said. “What I worry about is a lot of subscribers who receive the print edition are older people who may not have computers or internet access. This is going to create an inequity of news consumption and knowledge.”

The impact on older readers may vary significantly, according to Misinco.

“There’s a lot of differences among older readers,” he said. “There are many who do have internet access and are tech-savvy, but they just prefer the print format. With The Express-Times continuing to offer a digital replica of the print product, those readers might adapt.”

“It’s really the ones who aren’t tech savvy or don’t have internet access who might stop reading altogether,” Misinco said.

The Lafayette will become the only print newspaper based in Easton. Its editor-in-chief, Isabella Gaglione ’25, said she is feeling the pressure.

“It’s a little scary that something like journalism that I’m really passionate about and I’m surrounded by people who are also passionate about it, it’s something that can go away,” Gaglione said.

Gaglione emphasized that The Lafayette has recently pivoted to expanding its coverage of Easton-area issues.

While The Express-Times transitions to a digital-only format, other local newspapers are maintaining traditional print operations. The Morning Call will remain a viable source of print media delivery, according to Misinco.

“We have no plans to make any changes there, and we plan to continue printing for some time,” Misinco said. “For us, we’re able to make it work.”

The final print edition of The Express-Times will be published on Feb. 2, 2025. The news organization will continue providing daily coverage through lehighvalleylive.com.

Disclaimer: Isabella Gaglione ’25 did not contribute writing or reporting.

This story was originally published on The Lafayette on November 15, 2024.