Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The

Daily morning newspaper published in Atlanta, Ga., based largely on the former Atlanta Constitution. Generally regarded as the “voice of the New South,” the Constitution counted among the great newspapers of the U.S. It became a leader among Southern papers soon after its founding in 1868, and a succession of outstanding editors contributed to its distinction: Henry W. Grady (1879–89); Clark Howell (1897–1938); and Ralph McGill, who served as both editor (1942–60) and publisher (1960–69). In 1950 it was bought by James M. Cox, who already owned the evening Atlanta Journal (founded 1883); for many years a merged paper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was published on weekends until the two papers were fully merged in 2001.