Lead: The Boston Globe announced it will not produce a printed edition for Feb. 24 delivery after a powerful nor’easter made safe printing and distribution impossible. The company said it could not guarantee that a crew could reach the Taunton printing plant or that distribution trucks could complete the “last mile.” Print subscribers will receive Tuesday’s paper on Wednesday; retail single-copy sales will not be available. Globe leaders described the move as unprecedented in the organization’s history since 1872.
Key takeaways
- Boston Globe canceled the print run for the Feb. 24 delivery due to a nor’easter that severely disrupted travel and logistics across New England.
- Only about 25% of Monday’s papers reached subscribers during the storm, according to internal figures the company shared.
- Print subscribers will get the missed Tuesday edition on Wednesday; single-copy retail sales are suspended for that day, the Globe said.
- Globe management said this is the first time it has called off production of a daily paper since the organization’s 1872 founding; labor strikes briefly halted output in the 1950s and 1960s.
- The Globe’s printing operation runs out of a Taunton facility separate from the newsroom at 53 State St., and staff travel to the plant was blocked by deep snow and stranded vehicles.
- Employees with decades of service voiced strong dedication to resuming printing as soon as conditions allow; leadership cited safety and distribution feasibility as the deciding factors.
- Despite the print interruption, the Globe continued publishing online throughout the storm, a capability that did not exist during comparable historic storms such as the Blizzard of ’78.
Background
New England’s infrastructure is periodically strained by major winter storms; nor’easters can bring heavy snow, strong winds and widespread travel disruption. Newspapers historically prioritized getting a print edition out even in extreme weather, both to serve readers and to protect advertising revenue tied to print circulation. The Globe has printed continuously for decades, surviving earlier shocks: during the Blizzard of 1978 the paper printed a limited run for Feb. 7, 1978, though delivery trucks were quickly immobilized.
Over recent years many U.S. newspapers have reduced print frequency in response to shifting readership and advertising declines. The Globe, however, maintained a seven-day print product and remained one of the relatively few profitable daily papers. Distribution now depends on external partners, dedicated truck fleets and pressroom crews based at the Taunton manufacturing facility; all three elements are vulnerable to severe weather and ground-transport disruption.
Main event
On Monday night Globe management determined that weather and road conditions would prevent safe, reliable printing and distribution for the Feb. 24 delivery. Josh Russell, vice president of print operations, said leadership could not be confident that a crew could reach the plant and that trucks could complete the last-mile deliveries. The decision prioritized employee safety and the feasibility of getting papers to subscribers.
Chris Johnson, executive director of manufacturing at Boston Globe Publishing Services, described lengthy, stalled travel while trying to reach the printing plant in a four-wheel-drive pickup; he was pulled from snow more than once and encountered emergency vehicles stuck on the roads. Other pressroom staff reported similar, often multi-hour commutes that ended without reaching the facility, leaving presses idle.
Jamie Nee, the Globe’s executive director of sales strategy and fulfillment, said print subscribers will receive the missed edition a day late but there will be no single-copy sales in retail outlets on Tuesday. The company also activated its digital channels to ensure continuous news coverage while print distribution was paused.
Longtime pressroom employees, some at the Globe since the 1980s, said the choice to halt production was jarring but understood given safety risks. Dan Stenstrom, the pressroom superintendent who joined the Globe in 1985, emphasized staff commitment and expectation that printing would resume once conditions improved.
Analysis & implications
The halt of a daily print edition at a major regional paper is symbolic as well as practical. Practically, a missed print day disrupts subscribers used to physical delivery and can cost advertising revenue associated with guaranteed circulation. Symbolically, it underscores both the continuing vulnerability of print logistics and the growing reliance on digital publishing to maintain continuity of coverage during extreme events.
For the Globe, which has sustained seven-day printing while many peers cut frequency, the incident may prompt reassessment of contingency planning and distribution redundancy. Management must weigh investments in weather-proofing logistics against the long-term economics of print as readership shifts online. Advertisers and subscribers will watch how the Globe communicates and remedies service interruptions.
Regionally, the episode highlights that critical local infrastructure—roads, emergency services and distribution networks—remains the decisive constraint for physical media. Newspapers that still rely on ground transport can expect heightened disruption from extreme weather as climate science projects more intense storms in some regions.
Finally, the Globe’s ability to publish online mitigated news gaps for readers; that digital resilience further reduces some commercial incentives to maintain aggressive print contingency spending, but it does not erase the reputational impacts among long-term print subscribers.
Comparison & data
| Event | Date | Immediate impact |
|---|---|---|
| Current nor’easter | Feb. 23–24, 2026 | Feb. 24 print run canceled; Monday deliveries at ~25% |
| Blizzard of ’78 | Feb. 7, 1978 | A limited press run printed but delivery trucks could not reach many areas |
| Distribution disruption (2016) | 2016 | Thousands of subscribers missed print editions for weeks after a distribution partner change |
The table places the current cancellation in historic context: unlike the short, limited press activity during the 1978 storm or the distribution partner failure in 2016, the Feb. 24 decision represents a full pause of a scheduled daily print run. That contrast underlines how travel and last-mile logistics are often the determining factor in print continuity. Operational lessons from 2016—staff-led interim delivery and cross-department mobilization—remain relevant to recovery planning.
Reactions & quotes
We don’t take the decision lightly; we’re not confident that even if we got a crew in tonight that we could get the papers on our trucks safely.
Josh Russell, Vice President of Print Operations, Boston Globe Media
Russell framed the choice as a safety and distribution judgment rather than a cost decision. Leadership noted that previous storms saw staff consistently come in, making this cancellation notable.
They have a dedication to the process. As much as today gives them pause, they know they’ll be in there tomorrow.
Dan Stenstrom, Pressroom Superintendent
Stenstrom emphasized employee commitment and the expectation of resuming normal operations when roads are passable.
We thought, at the time, we needed to preserve the news or preserve the paper. We stuck with the news.
Paul Tash, former CEO and chair, Tampa Bay Times (commentary)
Tash’s reflection places the Globe’s choice against a wider industry history of trying to keep print runs going despite storms, while acknowledging recent economic pressures on print publishing.
Unconfirmed
- Full archival confirmation that no prior management-ordered, full-day print cancellation occurred between 1872 and 2026 remains pending; the Globe’s internal archive supports the claim but independent verification is incomplete.
- The exact number of copies printed during the Feb. 7, 1978 press run is described as “a few thousand” in historical accounts; an exact press-count figure has not been independently verified here.
- Precise route-by-route delivery failure counts for the current storm (beyond the 25% Monday delivery figure) are still being compiled by the Globe and have not been publicly released in full detail.
Bottom line
The Globe’s decision to pause its Feb. 24 print edition underscores how extreme weather can upend long-standing operational routines for legacy media. Safety and the practical impossibility of completing last-mile delivery were cited as primary reasons, reflecting that physical distribution—not editorial capacity—was the limiting factor.
For readers and advertisers, the interruption is a reminder of the value of digital continuity and the fragility of print logistics. For the Globe, the episode may accelerate assessment of contingency plans and distribution redundancies even as the organization balances the economics of sustaining a seven-day print edition.
Sources
- The Boston Globe (media report / primary coverage)