A daily newspaper is a periodical publication that reports current news events. News stories may cover a variety of topics, including national and international politics, sports, business, science, culture, religion and social issues. Many newspapers also publish editorials and letters to the editor. Newspaper articles are often sourced from local, state and national wire services such as the Associated Press or Reuters. They may be printed on paper in a range of sizes and colors and include photographs. Many large metro and regional newspapers publish daily, while some smaller local and regional papers only publish weekly or bi-weekly.
A daily news story will typically include a headline, an author, and a date. The news article will usually be accompanied by one or more pictures, which may be sourced from photo agencies such as the AP or Reuters. In addition, many newspapers feature “Background” and “Resources” (including video clips, maps and links) that help readers understand the context of the news story.
In the United States, daily newspaper circulation continues to decline as more people get their news online. However, there are still some bright spots in the industry.
The daily newspaper is a cornerstone of our nation’s democracy, but as the digital age grows, more and more readers are getting their news elsewhere. This trend is putting financial pressures on print journalism and creating a chasm between those who have access to newspapers and those who don’t. The gap is creating a new kind of journalistic landscape, in which a small number of news organizations dominate the top of the rankings and most newspapers are losing readership.
While the future of journalism is unclear, we can look to history for clues about what might happen next. This is especially true for daily newspapers, which have played a vital role in the American news ecosystem for over two centuries. We can learn a lot from studying the past, from how newspapers have changed over time and how they have responded to changing audience demands.
This fact sheet is part of an ongoing project to investigate the state of news, information and journalism in the United States. It is produced by the Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project, with funding from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The Yale Daily News, founded on January 28, 1878, is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. It is financially and editorially independent of the university. During the academic year, the News is published Monday through Friday and is distributed in New Haven and on campus. The News also publishes a Friday supplement known as WKND and special issues such as the Yale-Harvard Game Day Issue, Commencement Issue and First Year Issue in collaboration with the university’s cultural centers and affiliated student groups.
The Pew Research Center’s News, Information and Journalism Project has analyzed financial data from the newspaper industry to estimate the total number of daily U.S. newspaper subscribers in 2022. Total print and digital newspaper circulation declined in 2022.