A daily newspaper is a publication that contains news articles and other content of interest to its general readership. Typically, newspapers publish national and international news as well as local news and events. They cover political events and personalities, business and financial news, crime, weather and natural disasters, sports, science and technology, health and medicine, society, fashion, food, home and garden, and other topics of general interest. They may also contain opinion articles (often referred to as op-eds) and columnists’ personal opinions on public issues. Many newspapers have a Sunday edition, which is a separate and usually larger edition than the weekday paper, with special sections such as comics and magazines.
In addition to providing information and entertainment, most newspapers are also intended to promote an ideology or viewpoint to their readers. Most traditional newspapers have a editorial page where the editor(s) of the newspaper express their opinion on a current topic of public interest, and a section for articles by guest writers who share the same point of view. Other opinions of readers and other writers are often published in the op-ed (“opposite the editorial”) or letters to the editor pages.
A newspaper may be printed daily, weekly or monthly, and it can be found in many formats, including the internet. Most of these publications are printed on high-quality paper and have a large circulation in their respective markets. In the United States, there are over 200 daily newspapers and dozens more weekly and monthly publications. In addition to daily newspapers, there are a number of specialty publications that focus on specific subject areas, such as politics, religion or sports. Increasingly, there are also regional publications that serve communities as small as a single city or town.
The New York Daily News was one of the first newspapers to be published in tabloid format, and it reached its peak circulation in 1947 with 2.4 million copies a day. It was known for its brassy, pictorial style and its extensive use of photography; it was an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service in the 1930s and developed a large staff of photographers. It was also famous for its lurid coverage of gangsters and political corruption, as well as for its entertainment listings and celebrity gossip.
During the 1970s, it was a major critic of urban decay and promoted the idea that city residents could revitalize their neighborhoods with the help of government intervention. It was also a strong supporter of civil rights and championed the First Amendment. Its journalism won it two Pulitzer Prizes for Distinguished Commentary, in 1996 for the work of E.R. Shipp and in 1998 for Mike McAlary’s report on the police beating of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima.
The News began to decline in readership during the 1980s, partly because of a multi-month strike by its labor unions. In 1993, publisher Mort Zuckerman made several big changes in an attempt to boost the paper’s earning potential, including upgrading to color presses and investing $60 million. These efforts failed to revive the newspaper’s fortunes, and in late 2016 the Daily News announced that its circulation had fallen below half a million.