In a crowded and competitive news world, daily newspapers face challenges ranging from a lack of advertising to the rise of new digital outlets. In recent years, several large dailies have closed or merged, while the number of smaller local papers continues to decline. However, despite these challenges, the New York Times says it is continuing to invest in its print products. In fact, the paper recently added a new daily online edition, which has been well-received by readers.

The Daily News was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, a co-publisher of the Chicago Tribune who split with his partner over differences in editorial policy. The New York Daily News began life as a tabloid and quickly established itself as a leading urban newspaper. Its early success was based on sensational pictorial coverage and the willingness of its staff to go “a step further” than competitors in pursuit of attention-grabbing front pages. This was exemplified in 1928 when reporter Tom Howard strapped a camera to his leg and captured the moment Ruth Snyder, sent to the electric chair for murdering her husband, was electrocuted. The picture was published on the front page of the newspaper with the headline, “DEAD!”

As the Daily News evolved into a major metropolitan newspaper, it also established itself in radio and television. Its first television station, WPIX (channel 11 in New York City), debuted in 1948. Its call letters were derived from the News’ nickname as New York’s picture newspaper, and the station remains in the former Daily News building today. The News also owned and operated the radio stations WNYE and WNBT. The News was an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service in the 1930s and developed a large staff of photographers.

While the News has long maintained a liberal political stance, it shifted toward a more centrist position in the 1970s. On October 30, 1975, the New York Daily News rolled out what would become its most famous headline in its history. In the wake of President Gerald Ford’s vetoing of a debt-relief plan for New York City, the headline read: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.”

In 1996, the News launched a quarterly (later monthly) black-themed insert called BET Weekend, which later expanded to twenty-one markets nationwide. The News also added a monthly regional edition of its Caribbean Monthly.

The News is a founding member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and is an affiliate of the American Society of Journalists. The newspaper is also an associate of the International Women’s Media Foundation and a founding member of the Newseum, a nonprofit journalism center in Washington, D.C. The News also maintains a weekly student paper, the Yale Daily News, and publishes several annual special issues in collaboration with Yale’s cultural centers and affiliated student groups. The News is also an independent contributor to the website Ballotpedia, which provides information on state ballot measures and legislative candidates. The newspaper has also conducted interviews with a variety of political candidates and figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

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