Founded in 1919, the New York Daily News was the first successful tabloid newspaper in the United States. Its lurid crime, scandal, and violence coverage helped attract readers, and it also featured celebrity gossip, cartoons, and entertainment features. The Daily News was often criticized for its bias, but in its heyday it was considered to be a reliable source of local and national news. The paper remained in operation until 2017, when it was sold to Tronc for $1.
The story of the New York Daily News is a sad one, but it reflects the massive changes affecting journalism across America. As technological change has thrown thousands of reporters out of work and closed many newsrooms, it has left vast areas with few traditional sources of news. In this book, Andrew Conte explores the effect of these changes on the small town of McKeesport in southwestern Pennsylvania. His account of the death and rise of the city’s newspaper is both informative and thought-provoking.
Conte’s main point is that the loss of a local newspaper can have devastating impacts on a community, especially when it happens in a city with a relatively large population. He also describes how the city’s residents are struggling to make sense of a changing media environment, attempting to separate fact from fiction in a time when most people get their news from social media rather than newspapers.
The Daily News was the only newspaper in town, so its presence was critical to the lives of most city residents. The paper provided them with a glimpse of the world outside their home and informed them about national and international news. It helped them form a more cohesive community by allowing them to share common interests and experiences.
Historically, the Daily News was a conservative newspaper that favored isolationism in the early stages of the Second World War and supported social conservatism. In the 1970s, however, the newspaper shifted its stance, becoming a liberal alternative to the more right-wing Post. In recent years, the paper has leaned more towards liberal populism.
According to Ad Fontes Media, the Daily News has a Skews Left Bias and a Reliability rating of Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting. This means the newspaper is skewing more toward the left in its political affiliations and that it provides reliable, balanced coverage of current events.
The New York Daily News was the most read newspaper in the country for more than three decades. It was known for its sensational, often lurid, coverage of crime and scandal and for its celebrity and social intrigue stories such as the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII. The newspaper was a major part of the American media landscape, and it is a tragedy that it has been forced to close its doors. However, as Conte demonstrates in this fascinating and highly readable book, it is not too late for local papers to revive themselves. This is a book that every citizen should read.
