Founded in 1919, the Daily News was America’s first successful tabloid. It grew in readership and circulation as it embraced sensational and titillating stories, large and prominent photographs, classified ads, celebrity gossip, cartoons, sports news, and more. Its small size made it easy to read on the subway and in busy rush hour.
Joseph Medill Patterson, a publisher of the Chicago Tribune, started the newspaper in New York City. He and his co-publisher Robert R. McCormick were having trouble agreeing on the editorial direction of their Windy City paper. They decided to separate, and Patterson launched the Daily News with a pledge to “aggressively fight for America and the people of New York.”
The newspaper’s initial success can largely be attributed to its sensational pictorial coverage—and its willingness to go further than any of its competitors in the pursuit of a headline. A perfect example was the January 12, 1928, story of Ruth Snyder, a woman sent to the electric chair for murdering her husband. The Daily News snapped a photo of Snyder mid-electrocution and ran it with the headline, “DEAD!”
By the time it celebrated its 100th birthday in 1947, the brassy, pictorial Daily News had grown into one of the nation’s largest newspapers. Its circulation hit a high of 2.4 million daily, though it was still locked in a fierce rivalry with the even more sensational New York Post.
The emergence of the internet in the early 21st century dealt all printed newspapers serious blows, and the Daily News was no exception. By 2016, its daily circulation had fallen below a million for the first time in its history. The Donald Trump presidency offered the newspaper an opportunity to reclaim its top spot among New York City’s most popular media outlets, and it did so with a return to more sensational content. This included giving Republican senator Ted Cruz the middle finger via the Statue of Liberty’s hand and rehashing its most famous front page headline: “TRUMP TO CITY: DROP DEAD!”
The Daily News also expanded its presence beyond print. In 1948 it established a television station called WPIX, which used the call letters based on the name of its namesake newspaper. The News later acquired what became WFAN-FM as well. The television and radio stations continue to operate out of the News’s former home, the News Building at 220 East 42nd Street. The building was designed by architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood.
Today, the Daily News has a devoted online audience as it continues to offer quality journalism. Its website offers readers a digital experience that includes the entire newspaper with its full range of content. Its digital edition is available on desktop computers, tablets and mobile devices. It is easy to navigate and contains a variety of features to enhance the user experience. Its current owners, Tronc, are attempting to transform the Daily News into a multimedia company. Its most recent initiatives include a live streaming platform and a subscription service that offers access to the newspaper’s archived content.