The Daily News has a long and proud history. It was the first tabloid newspaper to reach a national audience. After its founding in 1919, it grew to become the largest circulated paper in the United States. Today, The Daily News is owned by Tribune Publishing, a media conglomerate that also publishes The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
In the mid-1970s, the Daily News began shifting its focus. Earlier, it was a conservative, Republican newspaper. By the mid-1980s, it was a moderate, liberal newspaper. Despite this change, the Daily News retained a large and enthusiastic readership. One reason for this was the paper’s emphasis on political wrongdoing. Another was the newspaper’s emphasis on social intrigue. For the last five decades, the Daily News has had a reputation as a moderate liberal alternative to the right-wing Post.
Throughout its history, the Daily News has been home to some of the most influential journalists in the business. Some of these journalists have gone on to famous careers in journalism. These include Haidee Chu, Rachel Shah, and Zainab Shah.
When The Daily News was founded, it was known as the Illustrated Daily News. A few years later, it became a subsidiary of the Tribune Company of Chicago. During its heyday, the Daily News had a circulation of 1.5 million. This figure rose to 2.4 million in 1947. As the New York Daily News expanded, it became a leading morning newspaper.
Eventually, the Daily News developed a staff of photographers. This helped the paper to attract readers with its lurid photographs. Especially in the 1920s, the Daily News found plenty of subject matter.
Over the years, the newspaper continued to provide strong coverage of local news. It also maintained a strong sports section. Ultimately, the newspaper became a leading voice for voiceless citizens.
For more than 50 years, the Daily News was a conservative, Republican newspaper. By 1940, the Daily News was an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service. Although the paper supported isolationism during World War II, it eventually became a leader in covering social and political wrongdoing.
As the Daily News shifted focus in the 1970s, the newsroom was reshaped. Several of its mainstays, such as Jim Rich, sat on a bench while it moved from its former headquarters on East 42nd Street to a new location on West 33rd Street. Several years later, the newspaper’s staff was reduced in half.
By the 1990s, the Daily News was in financial trouble. Rather than go bankrupt, the company sold the publication to Tronc, a real estate and media company. Soon after, the company changed its name to Tribune Publishing.
Upon purchasing the newspaper, Tronc agreed to assume all of the liabilities. Eventually, The Morning Call and The Orlando Sentinel were published by Tribune Publishing. Later, the company announced the closure of all of its newspapers.
After the sale of the Daily News to Tronc, the paper’s circulation declined. But the paper’s mission remained the same: to report on life in New York. That’s why the Daily News was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2017.