Founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson—who was also the publisher of the Chicago Tribune—the Daily News became the first successful tabloid newspaper in the United States, attracting readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photos, and cartoons. The paper reached its apex in 1947, with circulation of more than 2.4 million copies daily, the highest in the country at that time. The Daily News was one of the first newspapers to use the Associated Press wirephoto service and was an early user of color photography. It was also an early proponent of television news, launching The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS in 1948. At the same time, it was constructing its famous Daily News Building on 42nd Street, an Art Deco landmark designed by Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells that was later used as the model for the Daily Planet building in the Superman movies.
By the mid-1980s, however, it had lost its luster, and in 1986, a multi-union strike shut down the paper for more than three months. Afterward, the Tribune Company—which had earned a reputation as a union-buster in Chicago—bought the paper for a mere dollar and began cutting staff. The Daily News subsequently reverted to its original name of New York Daily News and lowered prices, but the paper still fell well short of its former high-water mark in circulation.
In 2017, circulation dipped to less than half a million, and the News is still struggling to regain its old glory. In an effort to re-energize its readership base, the newspaper has taken a page from its own history book, going back to its tabloid roots. In recent headlines, the newspaper has screamed at President Trump (“TRUMP TO WORLD: DROP DEAD”) and even given him the middle finger (via the Statue of Liberty’s hand) in an attempt to grab attention and make people take notice.
While the Daily News is still a top choice for New York City residents, there are a number of other options available to those who want their daily news in print or on the web. Startup investor and long-time news junkie Dave Pell curates a daily collection, in both e-newsletter and iPhone app form, of 58 top news sources—including NBC, Fox, CNN, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera—to deliver the day’s must-read stories. You can sign up for his Cheat Sheet here. The app’s content includes a mix of breaking news, national and international headlines, New York City exclusives, sports, celebrities, gossip, and politics. The Cheat Sheet also features a selection of top photos from the best sources and links to the original articles, so you can read more about any story that catches your interest. The app is free to download, but a subscription is required for weekly delivery of the Cheat Sheet and daily editions of the Daily News.
