The New York Daily News is a morning tabloid newspaper founded in 1919 and the first such publication in America. At one point it was the highest-circulation daily paper in the world. It is currently owned by Tronc, the publishing operations of Tribune Company, and headquartered in Manhattan. The newspaper is famous for its sensational coverage of crime, scandal, and violence, lurid photographs, and celebrity gossip. It also maintains a strong reputation for investigative journalism. In addition to its New York City headquarters, the newspaper has offices in Washington D.C. and in other cities around the country.
The newspaper has been a staple of New York City’s culture for decades. In the early years of the tabloid industry, the Daily News attracted readers with its sensational coverage and racy language, rivaling its more sophisticated and well-established competitors like the New York Times and the Washington Post. After the end of World War II, the paper shifted its editorial stance to become more centrist, though it was still often compared to its right-wing rival, the New York Post.
In recent years, the Daily News has suffered severe financial problems. Its circulation had declined steadily, and in 2021 it announced that its iconic Manhattan offices would close. The paper had previously moved to a smaller location in Lower Manhattan, and it was expected to move again in 2024.
On May 21, shareholders of Tribune Publishing, the parent company of the Daily News and other newspapers, voted to approve a sale of the newspaper to the hedge fund Alden Global Capital. This vote was the final straw for many staffers at the paper, who had already been offered buyouts and faced a looming threat of layoffs.
Despite its declining circulation, the Daily News has been a source of political drama. The newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 (with ProPublica) for uncovering police abuse of eviction rules, and its reporters have covered many major events. The newspaper’s staff have been vocal in their opposition to the sale of the Daily News, and several employees have launched campaigns for local philanthropists to save the newspaper.
The Yale Daily News Historical Archive includes digitized copies of the printed editions of the Yale Daily News, the oldest college newspaper in the United States. This collection is open to the public and provides access to over 140 years of YDN reporting. This archive is part of the Yale Library’s Digital Collections. It has been made possible by an anonymous gift from a Yale alumnus. The Yale Library is grateful for this support. For more information about the Library’s digital collections, visit our website. The Yale Library also maintains the YDN’s Digital Newsroom, which is open to all users. YDN is available in the following languages: