The New York Daily News is a daily newspaper published in the City of New York, primarily in Manhattan. It was founded in 1919 as a tabloid and is now the largest newspaper on the island of Manhattan. The paper covers the world’s greatest city and beyond, with national and local news, New York exclusives, politics and the latest in sports (especially the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets). Its award-winning writers, columnists and opinion formers deliver the most important news of the day from around the globe.
Each daily news article is accompanied by comprehension and critical thinking questions, found at the bottom of the page, to help students with reading comprehension and deeper understanding of the story. Additionally, “Background” and “Resources” (including video clips, maps and links to related articles) are provided below the questions to provide additional information.
Throughout the 1920s, the Daily News continued to find ample subject matter, including political wrongdoing such as the Teapot Dome scandal, social intrigue (the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to the latter’s abdication), and a variety of celebrity news (including the suicide of entertainer Buddy Rich). The News also was an early user of Associated Press wirephoto service and developed a large staff of photographers.
In the 1970s, the News began to suffer financially. By the mid-1980s, it was losing $1 million a month and had yielded to union demands on rules, job numbers, and overtime pay. Closing the newspaper altogether was considered, but dismissed as too costly in terms of severance pay and pensions for employees who would have been laid off.
By the late 1990s, the newspaper had regained its reputation for protecting First Amendment rights and championing the city’s underdogs. It won a Pulitzer Prize 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. In addition, the newspaper introduced the weekly insert BET Weekend for African Americans and developed its Web site.
By 1995, the Daily News had vacated its News Building at 220 East 42nd Street—an official city and national landmark designed by architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood—for a larger facility on 450 West 33rd Street (now called 5 Manhattan West). In 1948, the News established WPIX-TV in the same building, with call letters based on the News’ nickname as “New York’s Picture Newspaper.” The station remains in the building to this day, and is now owned by CBS Radio. The building was used as the model for the Daily Planet building in the first two Superman films. During the 2000s, the News expanded its digital offerings, adding its Web edition in 2001. In 2011, the newspaper’s parent company, Tribune, sold it to the Meredith Corporation. The Daily News was the last major daily newspaper to stop printing in 2012. Today, the paper carries out all production activities online.