The Daily News is an American tabloid newspaper founded in 1919 and published in New York City. It is considered to be one of the oldest newspapers in the United States and has had many famous writers and columnists, including William F. Buckley, Lan Samantha Chang, Joseph Lieberman, Strobe Talbott, and Daniel Yergin.
The paper is known for its investigative reporting and has won many awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1996 for E.R. Shipp’s pieces on race, welfare and social issues. The paper also has a long history of supporting First Amendment rights and protecting the interests of New York City residents, especially those who are perceived as being without a voice, such as immigrants and the poor.
As a result, the newspaper is often seen as a bulwark against corrupt politicians and the establishment. It has been described as “the most dangerous paper in America” and as the “paper that cries out for blood.”
In addition to its traditional print edition, the Daily News also has several digital products, including an online version of the newspaper, news videos, and live broadcasts. Its website receives over a million visitors each month, making it the largest news site in the United States. The Daily News is also available on smartphones and tablets.
In the early 21st century, the Daily News continued to lose readership as it struggled with declining profits. In 1975, the paper launched what would become its most famous headline: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.” The headline referred to President Gerald Ford’s decision to reject a city bankruptcy bail-out and was designed to appeal to the conservative newspaper’s core audience of working class readers.
The paper was relaunched with a new editorial team in 1993 and became more liberal in its political outlook, although it still maintained a strong focus on local news and sports. In the 1990s, it began publishing the quarterly BET Weekend insert for African Americans and the monthly Caribbean insert, BET Weekly, both of which became extremely popular. The Daily News also redeveloped its website and went fully electronic in 1999, becoming the first metropolitan newspaper to do so.
The Daily News currently has a staff of over 1,600 journalists, with a concentration of nearly 400 in the editorial department. The newspaper is owned by Tronc, a media company that also publishes the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. It is based at 220 East 42nd Street near Second Avenue, a 36-story, Art Deco building that was designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood and served as the model for the Daily Planet building in the Superman film franchise. It occupied the space until 1995 when it moved to its current headquarters at 450 West 33rd Street, now called Manhattan West. The building straddles the railroad tracks going into Pennsylvania Station. It is also home to the AP’s world headquarters. The News also houses its former subsidiary, WPIX-TV.