Daily News is an American tabloid newspaper founded in 1919 as the Illustrated Daily News. The paper was started by Joseph Medill Patterson, who was the publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The new newspaper was modeled after the popular British tabloids, which had gained popularity in America. The newspaper attracted readers by focusing on sensational coverage of crime, scandal and violence, as well as offering lurid photographs and other entertainment features.
The Daily News was the first major tabloid in the United States, and it grew to be one of the most influential newspapers in the world. In the early years of the Roaring Twenties, the newspaper had a circulation of over a million people. Its success was fueled by its sensational pictorial coverage, including such stories as the death of Ruth Snyder, who was executed in the electric chair for killing her husband. The News also drew in readers with its cartoons and other fun features.
After the Depression, the newspaper struggled to stay afloat and lost readers to its rivals. By 1978, the newspaper’s circulation had dropped to just over half a million people. This was partly due to a multi-month strike by its employees, which the newspaper’s owner, Charles H. Maxwell, drew criticism for using union funds to pay for replacements. The strike impacted all of the city’s major newspapers, but the Daily News saw its readership decline the most.
By the late 1990s, the newspaper began to see a resurgence in its reputation for defending the First Amendment and the rights of the citizens of New York City, particularly those who were often overlooked by other media outlets. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1996 for E.R. Shipp’s articles on race and welfare issues, and again in 1998 for Mike McAlary’s reporting of police brutality against Abner Louima. The paper also developed a reputation for pursuing hard-hitting investigative stories, even when those stories might draw scrutiny or backlash from others.
In 1996, the News launched a successful insert called BET Weekend for African Americans. This was followed in 1997 by a quarterly insert that was published nationally, Caribbean Monthly. In 1999, the News expanded its reach internationally with a weekly publication in London known as the Metropolitan Daily.
The News has also made significant contributions to the development of journalism in the United States. It is the nation’s oldest college daily newspaper and is editorially independent. It publishes Monday through Friday during the academic year and is available on campus at no charge to students. It has several special editions during the year, including the Yale-Harvard Game Day Issue, the Commencement Issue and the First Year Issue.
This Daily IAS Current Affairs page provides aspirants with the best news and analysis from the world of politics, business, and culture. In addition to providing the latest headlines, it also provides insights into government policies aimed at boosting economic growth such as Make in India and Start up India. The site also covers other important events and developments around the globe.