The Daily News
Founded in 1919, the Daily News was the first tabloid newspaper published in the United States and is the ninth-largest newspaper in the country by weekday circulation. The News has won Pulitzer Prizes in commentary, feature writing and international reporting, and it has been described as a brawny metro tabloid that thrived on digging into crime and corruption. It is currently owned by tronc, which purchased the newspaper from Tribune Publishing Company in 2017 for $1. The News has a Skews Left media bias rating from Ad Fontes Media, which rates sources as biased in ways that strongly align with liberal or progressive thinking and/or policy agendas.
A daily newspaper is a publication printed and distributed on a regular basis, typically once each day (hence the name). Many newspapers also produce weekly editions and, less frequently, monthly publications. The newspaper industry is in decline, and most of today’s daily newspapers have smaller readership than in previous decades.
In its 1920s heyday, the Daily News became famous for its “brawny metro tabloid” style, using large headlines and splashy photographs to grab readers’ attention. Its reporters often went after public figures, including gangsters, politicians and even celebrities. For example, a 1928 photo of Ruth Snyder being executed in the electric chair was accompanied by the headline, DEAD! The News was an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service, and its staff included prolific photographers.
The News’ editorial stance has varied over the years. In its earliest years, it was staunchly Republican, and in the 1940s and 1950s it supported isolationism and conservative populism. Later, it shifted its stance to become a moderately liberal newspaper.
Many modern newspapers are primarily online, but some still produce a physical version that is read in print or distributed through the mail. In addition, most newspapers have websites that present their online content in the form of news, commentary and features. In the United States, there are a wide range of newspapers that cover local, regional and national news, as well as niche publications that focus on topics such as sports, business, politics and religion.
A newspaper’s content is compiled by reporters, columnists, writers and editors. Reporters gather facts and information about news events, while columnists regularly write articles about their personal opinions and experiences. Editors are responsible for selecting what stories to publish and for preparing them for printing. Photographers provide images to accompany news stories, and designers create pages that display the story in an attractive way. The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains digitized copies of printed issues of the newspaper from its founding on January 28, 1878 to the present. The archive is available for use by anyone with access to the Internet. It provides an opportunity for students to research how news has changed over time, and the different ways that news is delivered to its readers. It also allows students to study the evolution of the news industry, which has been accelerated by new technologies such as the Internet and social media.