The Daily News is a morning tabloid newspaper in New York City. Founded in 1919, it was the first U.S. daily to be printed in a tabloid format and reached its peak circulation in 1947. Today, it is the ninth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States and is owned by Tronc. It is known for its sensational reporting, often in the form of criminal or political scandal, lurid photographs and cartoons, and intense coverage of local city news, celebrity gossip, classified ads, sports, and opinion pieces.
The paper also has an extensive online presence and a radio division. The Daily News has a long history of labor conflicts, including the longest strike in modern times, which took place in 1990, when the newspaper’s ten unions shut down production for five months. Its most famous headline is from 1975, when the paper rolled out what would become its best-known front page: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.” The story was a reference to President Gerald Ford’s speech the previous day vetoing a city bankruptcy bail-out.
At its height, the newspaper had a huge staff of reporters and an office building at 4 New York Plaza in Manhattan that straddled railroad tracks into Pennsylvania Station. It was one of the first newspapers to use wire photo services and employed a large team of photographers. In the 1930s, the Daily News emphasized social intrigue and political wrongdoing, such as the Teapot Dome Scandal and Wallis Simpson’s romance with King Edward VIII, which contributed to the latter’s abdication.
By the turn of the 21st century, however, the Daily News was struggling. Its circulation had plummeted to a fraction of its mid-20th-century peak, and it was in the midst of a vicious circulation battle with rival tabloid The New York Post. In 1991, publisher Mortimer B. Zuckerman bought the newspaper, and, by negotiating favorable contracts with the Daily News’s ten unions, saved it from financial ruin.
During its resurgence, the Daily News returned to some of its more controversial editorial positions and headlines, most notably giving Republican Senator Ted Cruz the middle finger via the Statue of Liberty’s hand, and rehashing its 1975 front-page screamer: “TRUMP TO WORLD: DROP DEAD.” In 2017, circulation halved again, and the Daily News was sold once again, this time to Tronc.
The Daily News has a moderate to liberal media bias and is often contrasted with the right-leaning New York Post. For example, the Daily News supports a greater amount of gun control than the Post and opposes same-sex marriage. It also frequently endorses Democratic candidates and ballot measure issues. The Daily News is a member of the National Press Club and the New York City Media Council. The newspaper is also a founding sponsor of the New York City Children’s Museum. Its editorial board includes numerous New York politicians and celebrities. It has been described as “The Eyes, the Ears, the Honest Voice of New York.” The Daily News’ AllSides Media Bias Rating is Left.