The Daily News
Founded in 1919, the daily news has become one of the world’s best-known and influential tabloid newspapers. Its editorial team and staff include a mix of award-winning writers, columnists and opinion formers who provide New York City with the latest news from around the world, political intrigue and the latest gossip and celebrity. Whether it’s national or local, politics, sports, entertainment or the top stories in New York, no other newspaper covers the city like the daily news.
At its height, the Daily News was the largest newspaper in America and enjoyed a circulation of over two million copies a day. Its brassy pictorial style influenced later newspaper design, including the use of large photographs in story headlines. The newspaper was also an early adopter of the Associated Press wirephoto service and employed an extensive photography staff. During the Second World War, its coverage of the fighting in Europe and the Pacific was highly acclaimed. In 1947, the newspaper hit its peak in distribution at 2.4 million copies a day and was described as “the greatest picture newspaper in the world”.
The News has always been known for its investigative journalism, particularly in exposing corruption among public officials, including city, state and federal government agencies. In addition, the newspaper has a long history of championing the rights of New York’s poor and downtrodden, winning Pulitzer Prizes for E.R. Shipp’s articles on welfare and race, and Mike McAlary’s report on police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima.
In the 1980s, the News suffered severe financial problems. The Tribune Company, which owned the paper at that time, was trying to cut costs and had asked its ten unions to agree to reduced wage levels and hours. This led to a strike that lasted five months and cost the company over a hundred million dollars.
During the strike, the newspaper continued to publish by using non-union replacement staff, but at a considerable loss. By 1990, the Daily News was losing $1 million a month. The Tribune Company put the newspaper up for sale, but no buyer was found. Closing the newspaper was also considered, but the severance pay and pensions owed to staff members would have cost more than $100 million.
In 1993, publisher Mort Zuckerman, who already owned The Atlantic and Britain’s Daily Telegraph, bought the newspaper for $36 million. He made several big changes, including repositioning the paper as a serious tabloid. He invested $60 million into color presses to bring the Daily News up to speed with its competitors, and it regained its earning potential. The daily news is currently owned by Tronc, the parent company of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Its New York headquarters are located in the former News Building. The daily news is published in the New York metropolitan area and distributed nationally. Its editorial board consists of forty-four members. It is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Newspaper Guild.