Founded in 1919, the Daily News is an American morning tabloid newspaper that was among the first to be successful in this genre. It attracts readers with sensational coverage of crime, scandal and violence, lurid photographs, and comics. It has won eleven Pulitzer Prizes. The newspaper is based in New York City. It is currently owned by tronc, which bought the newspaper from Mort Zuckerman in 2017.
The News has been accused of being politically biased, with a slight to moderate liberal bias. In addition, the newspaper frequently publishes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes) in support of liberal causes. Overall, we rate the New York Daily News Left-Center biased based on left-leaning editorial positions and High for factual reporting due to a reasonable fact check record.
In 1998, the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary for a series of articles on Abner Louima, who was sodomized and tortured by New York City police officers. Other notable columns include a 1987 piece by Mike McAlary that was nominated for a Pulitzer, and one in 1975 by Garry Trudeau that warned President Gerald Ford not to help New York City escape bankruptcy.
For a brief time in the 1920s, the paper was the largest circulation daily in the country. In the 1940s through 1960s, it espoused conservative populism. After that, it began shifting its stance and became moderately liberal. Its stance often contrasted with that of the right-wing Post, which until 1980 had been a Democratic bastion.
In 1995, the News front page displayed an illustration of Newt Gingrich as a baby in a diaper with the headline “Crybaby” after revelations that the then-Speaker of the House had shut down the government in retaliation for a perceived snub by Bill Clinton aboard Air Force One. This was part of a larger trend that saw the News become increasingly provocative, in an attempt to regain readership.
The News is a major source of local New York news. The paper also covers national and international events. The editorial staff consists of a mix of journalists from diverse backgrounds and educational and professional experience. It has a reputation for aggressive journalism and has been at the forefront of exposing corruption.
In a memo to staff Tuesday, executive editor Andrew Julien and general manager Michael Gates praised support from the paper’s new owners, Alden Global Capital, for its shift toward more local content. It is an effort to counter a “gloomy narrative about the death of American journalism,” they wrote.
The Yale Daily News Historical Archive is a collection of digital versions of the Yale Daily News from 1996 to the present, as well as selected back issues and special issue publications. The archive is made possible by the generous gift of an anonymous Yale alumnus. For information on requesting access to the archive or permission to reproduce its contents, see the YDN Rights and Permissions site.