The Daily News is an American newspaper founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City, where it remains headquartered. The paper is distributed throughout the metro area of New York City and in surrounding areas, including New Jersey and Connecticut. The paper is a tabloid, and features extensive local news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads, sports, comics, an opinion section, and a wealth of other information and entertainment. The newspaper is owned by Tronc Inc., which also owns other prominent publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.
The newspaper is known for its controversial opinions on issues of interest to the general public, with a heavy dose of political intrigue and social commentary. It has a long tradition of investigative reporting and a reputation for taking on corruption and other issues that many other newspapers do not touch upon. The News is a major source of information on global events and is particularly well-known for its coverage of the United States’ largest metropolitan area.
In addition to its traditional coverage, the Daily News has also become a key source of information about New York City politics and government. It was at the forefront of reporting on sexual harassment in the workplace, and its reporter Jodi Kantor broke the story about the resignation of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In addition, the newspaper has a long history of covering various ballot measure issues in New York, as well as other elections and national affairs.
In the early years of the 20th century, when it was still among the top-circulation papers in the country, the Daily News found abundant subject matter: political wrongdoing (such as the Teapot Dome scandal), social intrigue (such as the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII), and the fads of the day (such as the popularity of automobiles). The newspaper also developed a large staff of photographers.
During the tumultuous 1980s, the Daily News began to lose money as it yielded to union demands regarding rules, job numbers and overtime. In 1990, it lost $70 million in a single quarter, as labor costs swallowed 44 percent of the Daily News’ revenue. In 1992, the newspaper’s owner at the time, the Tribune Company (later renamed “Tronc”), embarked on an aggressive campaign to cull its editorial staff and other employees. By 1994, the Daily News was losing $1 billion a year. Ultimately, it was bought for one dollar in 1995 by Tronc’s successor company, News Corp., and was folded into the flagship Times Herald Publishing Corporation in 1998. The Daily News Building, designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, is an NYC landmark and served as the model for the Daily Planet building in the first two Superman films.