Founded in 1919, the Daily News is one of the most well-known newspapers in the United States. The newspaper is best known for its tabloid format and New York City coverage, but it also has a long history of national and international reporting. The Daily News has won many awards for its journalism and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Its award-winning writers, columnists and opinion formers bring you the latest in national and local news, New York exclusives and politics. Plus, no one covers the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets like the Daily News!
The Daily News was not only an early adopter of the tabloid format, but also made many other innovations in journalism. It was the first newspaper to use a wire service for photos, which revolutionized the way news stories were reported. It was also an early advocate of the use of headlines to attract attention, and it introduced a number of cliches now standard in contemporary writing such as “the mayor would poke his own eyes out before he let them be built” and referring to political figures with nicknames.
Its reputation as a strong voice of the people also gave it a great advantage over most other media outlets. While it did publish stories about playboys, divorces and other entertainment matters, it devoted far more space to the issues that affected readers’ daily lives. The founder, Joseph Medill Patterson, summed up the newspaper’s approach in his promise on its fiftieth anniversary to fight like a “tiger for the interests of New York.”
Although the paper largely represented a conservative point of view, it was not blind to issues of class and race. For example, it was quick to condemn the social unrest of the 1950s and 1960s, and its editorials urged city leaders to reduce rents, ease building restrictions and invite private enterprise to provide municipal services rather than raise taxes. The News argued that these changes were necessary to improve quality of life for city residents, especially the working class.
Readers of the Daily News often shared a sense of wariness and resentment toward nonwhites, particularly African Americans. The paper’s editors drew on this sentiment in their writing, and the newspaper often encouraged readers to write letters to the editor that expressed concerns over integration. Letters expressing this sentiment frequently referred to the fact that Blacks were stealing jobs and homes, and one even praised a lynching.
The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains thousands of pages from the newspaper’s rich history. This collection is available on a wide variety of devices through a free, digital edition that includes full-color pictures and interactive features. The digital edition can be downloaded to your computer or mobile device and is compatible with all major browsers. The digital edition is updated daily with current and past Daily News articles. You can view it online, read it offline or share stories through email.