News is a publication that informs, educates and entertains its audience. Newspapers may be general interest or tabloid and can include a wide range of information, from local events to world and national news. News articles often focus on political events and personalities, business and finance, crime, the weather, natural disasters, science and technology, health and medicine, sports and entertainment. Most newspapers also feature opinion pieces called editorials, which express the opinions of the editor (or an editorial board) and offer analysis and synthesis of a public issue. Many papers also contain columnists, who write personal opinions in a regular, ongoing column.
In addition to printed news stories, most traditional newspapers have websites and social media channels. In the early 21st century, many newspapers have also adopted digital news formats that are available on mobile phones and tablets. These digital versions of traditional newspapers usually include videos and audio, as well as the text of the print version.
The Daily News is a New York City tabloid founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Patterson’s goal was to establish a competing paper that would “aggressively fight for America and the people of this country.” In an effort to gain readership, the Daily News was modeled after popular pulp magazines and had a sensational headline, such as “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” in 1975.
By the 1980s, however, the Daily News was struggling. The newspaper was losing $1 million a month and was in constant conflict with its unions over wages, hours and job cuts. The New York Times suggested that the Daily News’ decline in readership was due to a combination of factors, including a price increase and production problems following a three-month strike.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Daily News was owned by New York News, Inc., with businessman Mortimer B. Zuckerman serving as chairman and copublisher. Zuckerman made several changes to the newspaper, including a move from black-and-white to full color printing and a rebranding of the News as a serious tabloid. He invested $60 million in the color presses, which allowed the Daily News to compete with USA Today.
The Daily News has been home to Yale’s student editors and writers for over 130 years, including William F. Buckley, Lan Samantha Chang, John Hersey, Sargent Shriver, Strobe Talbott, and others. The Daily News is also the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains digitized copies of the paper from its founding in 1878 to the present day. The archive is open to the public. For more information on obtaining permission to publish Yale Daily News content, visit the YDN Rights and Permissions site. Yale Daily News articles are protected under the copyright laws of the United States. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. For more information, please see the YDN Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Yale Daily News is published every weekday when the University is in session.
