The Daily News is an American newspaper founded in 1919 and based in New York City. It is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the United States, and its tabloid format and focus on scandalous and titillating stories have made it a notoriously sensational read. The paper has been credited with helping to bring about the end of prohibition in the United States, and has won numerous awards for its journalism, including two Pulitzer Prizes (first for E.R. Shipp’s pieces on race, welfare, and social issues and then again for Mike McAlary’s reporting on police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima). The Daily News is also a major source of information on New York City sports, and has a long history of covering the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Jets.
The newspaper has been through a number of ownership changes over the years, but in 2017 it was announced that publisher Mortimer Zuckerman was selling the paper to Tronc, a Chicago-based media company. The newspaper was the first to introduce a tabloid format and is known for its intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads, comics, and a section dedicated to sports.
In its early days, the paper found abundant subject matter in the political corruption and social intrigue that was rampant in the United States in the 1920s. It seized on such scandals as the Teapot Dome Scandal and Wallis Simpson’s romance with King Edward VIII, and devoted much attention to photography. The newspaper was an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service, and developed its own large staff of photographers. In 1928, a Daily News reporter strapped a camera to his leg and photographed Ruth Snyder as she was executed in the electric chair.
By the middle of the 1930s, the Daily News had become one of the country’s largest newspapers. It had a circulation of more than 1.5 million, and it was in need of larger headquarters. Patterson commissioned Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells, who had designed the Chicago Tribune Tower a few years earlier, to build a 36-story freestanding Art Deco structure that became known as the Daily News Building. Its utilitarian appearance was criticized at the time, but it would later serve as inspiration for the Daily Planet building in the Superman franchise.
Today the Daily News continues to be a highly respected source of news and information on both local and national events, as well as a popular destination for sports fans. Its website offers live news updates throughout the day, and its mobile app allows subscribers to download editions for offline reading. The paper also provides a wide variety of opinions and commentary from its staff, and it is an important part of the New York City community. The Daily News has won numerous awards for its journalism, and has been a frequent topic of conversation in both the public and private sectors. The newspaper is a leading advocate for the city’s poor and its working class, and has a reputation for protecting the First Amendment.