The Daily News is an American newspaper that was founded in 1878. It is the nation’s oldest college daily newspaper and publishes Monday through Friday during the academic year at Yale University in New Haven, CT. The paper also has several special editions including the Yale-Harvard Game Day Issue and the Commencement Issue.
The newspaper is noted for its sensational pictorial coverage, often going a step further than competitors in order to secure attention-grabbing front page headlines. One such instance occurred in 1928, when a Daily News reporter strapped a small camera to his leg and captured a picture of Ruth Snyder being electrocuted in the electric chair, which was published the next day under the headline “DEAD!”
In the later 1990s and early 2000s, the Daily News, led by editors-in-chief Pete Hamill and Debby Krenek, developed a reputation for protecting the First Amendment rights of its audience, as well as those of those who are perceived not to have a voice. The newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1996 for E.R. Shipp’s pieces on race, welfare and social issues and in 1998 for Mike McAlary’s coverage of police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima.
By the end of the decade, however, the Daily News was facing a steep decline in readership. The declining economics of the newspaper industry were exacerbated by the rise of the internet and other forms of media and in 2017 circulation was at its lowest level since the early 1980s. In late 2017, the paper was purchased for a single dollar by the Tribune Publishing Company, which had renamed itself Tronc in 1990.
In a move to improve profitability, the Tribune Company sought to eliminate the newspaper’s labor costs, which were at that point swallowing up to 44 percent of its revenue. In the fall of 1990, nine of the Daily News’ ten unions went on strike, allowing the paper to continue publishing by using non-union replacement staff but at a staggering loss of $70 million in the fourth quarter alone.
Each Daily News article features comprehension and critical thinking questions, found below the articles, as well as “Background” and “Resources” (including video clips, maps and links) to help students gain a deeper understanding of the news story. The Daily News also provides an optional email each morning that includes the answers to the comprehension and critical thinking questions.
The Yale Daily News is an independent, student-run newspaper that covers local, national and international news. It is available online and in print, Monday through Friday during the academic year. It is distributed free of charge on campus and at local businesses. The newspaper is a member of the Association of American Publishers and the New York Press Club. The Yale Daily News is edited and staffed entirely by undergraduate and graduate students at Yale. The paper has a strong focus on reporting on the local community and is a vital source of information for Yale students and residents.