Daily News is a newspaper from New York City, published since 1919 in tabloid format. The paper is known for its sensational, often titillating and highly popular front page stories. It is also known for its investigative journalism, particularly on social and economic issues. The paper has won the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary twice, in 1996 for E.R. Shipp’s work on welfare and race and in 1998 for Mike McAlary’s coverage of police brutality against Abner Louima.
At the time of its founding, the Daily News was the first major American daily printed in tabloid form. It was also the first to publish photographs on its front page, an innovation that allowed readers to see and understand what was happening in their own communities. The Daily News reached its highest circulation in 1947, with more than 2.4 million copies distributed each day.
The paper’s tabloid format and sensational content positioned it to gain the attention of commuters on the city’s subway system, where it had its greatest success. In addition to its front pages, the Daily News included an editorial section, reader contests and cartoon strips. The paper also featured a classified advertising section and a sports page.
By the 21st century, although the Daily News was no longer able to grab the city’s attention with a single headline, such as it had in 1975 with its infamous “Ford to City: Drop Dead”, it continued to provide intense coverage of local news and sports. The newspaper remained one of the top-selling newspapers in the United States, though its circulation had declined significantly from its mid-20th century peak.
In the late 1990s, under editors-in-chief Pete Hamill and Debby Krenek, the Daily News developed a reputation for protecting the First Amendment and advocating for the rights of the citizens of New York City, especially those perceived to be without a voice. This shifted the Daily News from its longtime, conservative stance to a more flexible centerist position.
In the fall of 2017, the New York Daily News was purchased by Tronc, a division of Tribune Publishing Company, for the monumental sum of one dollar. Soon after, its former owners went on a firing spree, reducing its staff from 400 to 45, a huge reduction from the hundreds plying their trade in the News Building in the 1980s. The Daily News would continue to print by hiring non-union replacement workers, but this came at a cost; in the fourth quarter of 1990, the paper posted a $70 million loss.