For over 100 years, Daily News readers have been kept up-to-date on the news that mattered most to them. Now the newspaper of record for New York City and its suburbs, the Daily News features intense local news coverage as well as national and international headlines, celebrity gossip, sports and a host of opinion pieces written by award-winning writers.
Founded in 1919 as the Illustrated Daily News, it was the first tabloid newspaper in the United States and reached its peak circulation in 1947 when it sold over 2.4 million copies daily. It was the third largest newspaper at that time, behind the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. At the turn of the 21st century it was owned by publisher Mortimer Zuckerman, and was headquartered in the landmark art deco Daily News Building at 4 New York Plaza in downtown Manhattan.
The News was known for its sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and cartoons. It also maintained several bureaus outside New York, including one in Philadelphia and one in Washington, D.C. It was the first newspaper to operate a television station, and in 1948 bought what became WPIX (Channel 11 in New York), whose call letters were derived from the News’ nickname of “New York’s Picture Newspaper.” The News also operated radio stations with calls such as WFAN-FM.
Today, the Daily News is owned by Tronc, the publishing operations of the Tribune Company, and continues to be based in New York City, with its main editorial offices at 220 East 42nd Street. It is the ninth largest daily newspaper in the United States and has a strong regional base.
The Daily News has a reputation for more bold headlines and less calm reporting than its crosstown rival, the New York Post, but it is considered a legitimate news source. It has a moderate-to-liberal bias, and it often opposes the conservative polemics of the Post. It has a higher liberal bias than the New York Times. In addition, it frequently takes on crusades that are probably not helpful in maintaining a reputation for objectivity. This is reflected in its high AllSides Media Bias Rating of Left. This rating is based on the percentage of editorial positions that strongly align with liberal, progressive or left-wing thought and/or policy agendas. In addition, this rating is based on the percentage of editorial position pieces that include factual errors.