Founded on January 28, 1878, the Yale Daily News is the nation’s oldest college daily newspaper and serves the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The News publishes five days a week during the academic year, including a Friday supplement called WEEKEND and special issues such as the Yale-Harvard Game Day Issue, Commencement Issue, and First Year Issue. In addition, the News has long been known for its focus on culturally-specific content produced in collaboration with campus groups and organizations such as the Black, AAPI, and Indigenous Student Centers. The News editorial staff includes dozens of alumni who have gone on to prominent careers in journalism and public service, including William F. Buckley, Jonathan Capehart, Lan Samantha Chang, Joseph Lieberman, John Hersey, Strobe Talbott, and Daniel Yergin.
The Daily News is one of the largest tabloid newspapers in the United States and was the first successful newspaper printed in the tabloid format. It was the first newspaper to cover the United States presidential election, and it attracted readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and comics and other entertainment features. It was locked in a circulation battle with the rival tabloid New York Post until it reached its peak circulation in 1947, at more than 2.4 million copies a day.
In 1948, the News established the television station WPIX, whose call letters were derived from the newspaper’s nickname; the station remains in its original location at 220 East 42nd Street, an official city landmark designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. In the late 20th century, the News moved to 450 West 33rd Street (known as “5 Manhattan West”).
The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains digitized versions of every issue of the YDN from its founding through 1995. It is available online and may be searched using a web interface. The archive is maintained by the Yale University Library.
In 2021, an anonymous Yale alumnus made a generous gift to support the continued development and enhancement of the YDN Historical Archive. The donation facilitated migration of the Archive to a more user-friendly platform, and will also help ensure its ongoing maintenance and preservation.
