The Boston Globe is canceling printing for the first time in 153 years — but why?

Executives at The Boston Globe canceled printing of the daily newspaper for the first time in its 153-year history after a record snowstorm prevented employees from safely reaching the printing plant.Heavy snow and high winds prevented crews from going to the Globe printing plant to print Tuesday’s paper, the newspaper said in an article on its website. The National Weather Service said 32 inches (81 centimeters) of snow had fallen in parts of Bristol County, Massachusetts, home to the Globe’s Taunton printing plant, by Monday night. The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper founded in Boston, Massachusetts. Tuesday marked the first time the Globe’s management canceled day-to-day production at the newspaper since its founding in 1872. In the 1950s and 1960s, workers’ strikes halted the printing industry several times.The Globe said it went to press during another record snowstorm nearly 50 years ago, when it printed thousands of copies of the Feb. 7, 1978, edition. However, few newspapers actually reached readers because mountains of snow prevented delivery trucks from traveling more than a mile or two from the building.Monday’s blizzard set snowfall records in nearby Rhode Island, with nearly 38 inches (96.5 centimeters) of snow falling at TF Green International Airport in Warwick, breaking a 1978 record.The Globe said print subscribers will receive Tuesday’s paper on Wednesday.In today’s Internet age, readers are much less dependent on newsprint. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that only 7% of U.S. adults regularly get news from a printed newspaper or magazine, while 56% said they often get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet.