Daily News is one of the most read newspapers in the world, with a reputation for unbiased reporting and strong editorial independence. The paper specializes in intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads, comics and sports. It is considered to be the newspaper of record for New York City and its surrounding areas. It also covers national and international news, politics and the latest in entertainment.
In the mid-1970s, the Daily News rolled out what would become its most famous headline in its 56-year history. After President Gerald Ford had delivered a speech in which he vetoed a bankruptcy bail-out for New York City, the front page of the Daily News read, “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.”
The 1970s saw the News establish local bureaus in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens and share offices within One Police Plaza and at City Hall. The News had a reputation for standing up for the First Amendment and for the rights of New York City residents, especially those perceived to be voiceless. In 1996, the News won a Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary with E.R. Shipp’s piece on welfare and social issues, and in 1998 for its coverage of the police beating of Abner Louima.
However, the heyday of the tabloid was short-lived. In the 1980s, as print advertising began to decline, the newspaper was losing more than $1 million a month. In 1985, the Tribune Company put the Daily News up for sale, with editor-cum-interim publisher James Willse in a bidding war with The Atlantic’s Mort Zuckerman and Conrad Black of Hollinger Inc, which published the Chicago Sun-Times and Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
Eventually, the Daily News was sold to Zuckerman for $36 million, less than half what Black had offered. As a condition of the sale, the new owner promised to retain the News’ staff and maintain its editorial integrity. But the cost of maintaining that promise was enormous, and by the early 1990s, labor costs were eating up 44 percent of the newspaper’s revenue.
The Daily News was able to survive the 1990s with a major revamp of its business model and the introduction of color printing. The repositioned Daily News returned to its roots as a serious news source, and by 1993 was again profitable. In the late 1990s, the Daily News continued to be a leader in digital media. Its online edition was one of the first to introduce a fully interactive website. Today, it is the most popular newspaper in the world. It is available in more than 20 languages and its websites receive over 1.6 billion page views per month. Its mobile apps have received more than 3.4 million downloads. The Daily News also has a highly respected book publishing division. In addition, the paper offers a number of events and has a vast array of television and radio programs. It has even been featured on television shows such as The Colbert Report and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.