A popular tabloid newspaper that is published every day in New York. Founded in 1919, Daily News is famous for its bold journalism and commitment to New York City. It offers local, national and international news, politics, sports, entertainment, gossip and celebrity stories. Its large headlines, large photographs and short articles distinguish it from its crosstown rival, the New York Post. Daily News also has a reputation for taking on crusades against local and federal politicians.
The newspaper was a pioneer in the use of wire photo services to bring breaking news to its readers, and in the 1930s the paper was lauded for its pictorial coverage of the Second World War. In 1947, it reached its peak distribution of 2.4 million daily and 4.7 million on Sundays. It was during this era that the iconic brassy, pictorial style of the paper was born and that it began to attract a celebrity following for its front page photos and sensational stories. This was the time when the legendary editor-cum-interim James W. Willse was at the helm, and the paper was home to a number of well-known columnists such as Ed Sullivan (who would later go on to host The Ed Sullivan Show).
After several years of financial difficulties, in 1978 the Daily News closed for almost three months due to a multi-union strike that hit its competitors, the New York Post and the New York Times, harder than any other publication in history. The paper reopened in January of 1993 and, with the help of publisher Mort Zuckerman, invested $60 million towards new color presses, allowing it to compete with USA Today and restoring its profitability.
While the paper has lost some of its popularity in recent decades, it is still a major source of information for New Yorkers and remains one of America’s most widely read newspapers. It is a prestigious institution that has been the training ground for many distinguished journalists and public figures, including William F. Buckley, John Hersey, Lan Samantha Chang, Joseph Lieberman, Sargent Shriver and Strobe Talbott.
In 2021, an anonymous Yale College alumnus made a significant gift to support the ongoing work of the Daily News Historical Archive. The gift facilitated the migration of the archive to its current platform and enabled the addition of issues from 1996 to present.
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