You can count on one hand the number of independently owned large metro newspapers that are doing reasonably well and continuing to grow. Among them is The Boston Globe. Today’s print edition features a full-page ad consisting of a year-end message from Linda Henry, the CEO of Boston Globe Media, in which she lays out a few intriguing hints about what’s to come in 2026. (I have not seen it online or in an email, at least not yet.)
Among the goals she lays out for the coming year: “Deepening coverage of Boston’s neighborhoods and expanding our presence across New England.” More city coverage would certainly be welcome. But I’m especially interested in her focus on New England.
The Globe’s Rhode Island and New Hampshire coverage have been valuable additions to the paper’s mission. Its reporting on the recent mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, was not only comprehensive and well-executed, but it also helped inform its coverage of what turned out to be a related killing in Brookline. So what’s next?
The Worcester area could use more journalism, and that would be especially ironic given that John and Linda Henry acquired the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester when they bought the Globe in 2013. They later sold it to an out-of-state corporate chain, leading to hard feelings over what some T&G folks thought was a promise by John Henry either to sell to local interests or hold onto it himself. (Henry later told me he had agreed not to sell to the notoriously bottom-line-focused GateHouse Media, though the T&G eventually ended up in GateHouse’s — now Gannett’s — hands anyway.)
Other possible targets for expansion include Springfield, Western Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont.
The other goals Linda Henry lays out in her year-end message are strengthened investigative and enterprise journalism; an emphasis on “products and experiences,” which I take as a sign that the paper will focus on improving its user tech; and building community “through newsletters, events, and live journalism.”
The remainder of her message is a look back at accomplishments during the past year, ranging from investigative reporting on the greed-fueled implosion of Steward Health Care to the expansion of its suite of newsletters.
Needless to say, Globe readers will be watching especially closely as former editor Brian McGrory retakes the reins on Jan. 5. It should be an interesting year. The text of Henry’s message appears below.
Dear Subscriber,
Thank you for your steadfast support of local, independent journalism
Each year, we think the news cycle might finally slow down. In 2025, it didn’t. Thanks to subscribers like you, the world-class newsroom of The Boston Globe was there for every moment — breaking news as it happened, pursuing deep investigations, and providing the local context our region depends on.
That responsibility was underscored recently by the devastating shootings at Brown University and in Brookline. Our journalists responded with care, preparation, and professionalism. The speed, accuracy, and thoughtfulness of our coverage reflected our commitment to delivering clear, timely, and reliable information when it matters most.
At the Globe, we believe informed communities are stronger communities. That belief guided our work throughout 2025—a year defined by accountability journalism, meaningful engagement, and national recognition for reporting rooted here in New England.
Journalism that made an impact
With your support, our journalists delivered reporting that informed the public, captured the vibrancy of our arts community, and helped drive change:
- Steward Health Care: Sustained, consequential coverage that helped patients, caregivers, and public officials navigate uncertainly, earning a Gerald Loeb Award and recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
- Spotlight investigations: Snitch City, exposing the misuse of confidential informants by Massachusetts police; reporting that revealed institutional secrecy surrounding the death of Sandra Birchmore, and Standards of Care, an investigation into ways the Massachusetts board of medicine is failing patients.
- Historic recognition: Murder in Boston earned the first duPont-Columbia Award in Globe history, along with an Edward R. Murrow Award and the Globe’s first National Emmy Award, for its rigorous reexamination of the wrongful targeting of Black men in the Carol Stuart case.
- Globe Opinion: Ambitious editorial and audio projects sparked dialogue on health care, housing, and education, including two Pulitzer finalist series.
Cultural leadership and the arts
We believe a thriving arts community is essential to a healthy civic life, and our coverage reflected that commitment:
- Authoritative arts journalism that celebrated creativity, examined the economics of cultural institutions, and elevated voices shaping New England’s artistic landscape.
- Critics, features, and cultural reporting that connected readers to the ideas, performances, and stories defining our region’s creative life — from neighborhood stages to international platforms.
Bringing journalism into the community
We continued to bring our reporting off the page and into conversation with readers:
- Globe Summit and an expanding slate of live events, including GlobeDocs and regional programs led by our Money, Power, Inequality team and our award-winning Globe Rhode Island newsroom.
- Community forums and newsletters that invited participation and reflection on the issues shaping our region.
Expanding access and experience
We invested in how readers discover, engage with, and share our journalism:
- Expanded reporter-led newsletters, including our flagship morning newsletter, Starting Point.
- Improved real-time alerts, apps, and website performance for speed, accessibility, and audio.
- Increased video storytelling, offering more ways to watch or read Globe reporting.
- Launched new Globe Games, including our first exclusive word game, Align.
- Partnered with NESN on Boston Globe Sports Report, a new show starring our great sports reporters.
- Strengthened partnerships with libraries and schools, opening new front doors to Globe journalism.
Looking ahead
As we look to 2026, our priorities are clear:
- Deepening coverage of Boston’s neighborhoods and expanding our presence across New England.
- Strengthening investigative and enterprise journalism.
- Building products and experiences that make trusted journalism easier to access, share, and engage with every day.
- Grow community connections, through newsletters, events, and live journalism that bring readers into the conversation.
Community remains at the heart of our mission. Through the Boston Globe Foundation, we supported organizations focused on children and families, arts and culture, education, and health. Now in its 70th year, Globe Santa once again delivered joy to tens of thousands of children across Massachusetts, thanks to the generosity of our readers.
Thank you for reading, subscribing, and supporting the journalism that strengthens the place we call home. It is an honor to serve you.
With gratitude,
Linda Henry
CEO, Boston Globe Media
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Given the struggles that the daily newspaper business has had generally, I need something a little more than your uncorroborated claim, Dan, that the Boston Globe is doing “reasonably well and continuing to grow,” for me to be persuaded that this is in fact the case.
The recent change at the top seemed a bit hurried to say the least. It was five months between the time it was announced that Brian McGrory was leaving, and the time he actually left. Now you have the editor in chief not even giving two weeks notice. And then there is the still open question of whether Brian McGrory is the new editor permanently, or is he an interim editor, which has not yet been forthrightly answered.
There have been retreats in the Globe forays into TV as well as podcasting, and the streaming documentary realms, combined with a disturbing lack of fact-checking in some of those endeavors.
Overall, there is a profound lack of accountability for how the billionaire runs the biggest media operation in New England, which, if it were ever going to be found at DanKennedy.net, it surely would have been by now.
Yesterday, my Globe subscription, which I renewed at the rate of one-dollar-per-month six months ago, was up again for renewal, so I called The Globe. The rep told me it would be $27.00 a month to renew, then twenty, then ten. Finally we agreed upon $20 for six months, or $3.33 per month. Who knows? I might have held out for an even lower rate. This doesn’t seem like a sustainable business model, where some people are paying a renewal rate of a dollar per month, while, others are paying the ADHD/Senior Citizen rate of $27.00 a month.
So the Globe’s new word game is called “Align,” how fitting for a business operation dedicated to alignment. Alignment with the status quo, whether that means lionizing Ted Kennedy, or normalizing an actual predator, Donald Trump, which combined brought us RFK Jr., more than a mere scientist, a “Kennedy,” and the typhoid Mary of the 21st century.
The Globe is privately held, so you can’t get the kind of metrics that you would from a publicly traded newspaper company. Reading the tea leaves, they’ve topped out at 260,000 paid subscribers — not growing, but not shrinking. In the past, the Henrys have shown no hesitation to cut staff, even through layoffs, when the balance sheet has turned red. Instead, they’re talking about more expansion in 2026 (hence “continuing to grow”).