Founded in 1878, the Daily News is the nation’s oldest college newspaper and is editorially independent. It publishes a daily issue during the Yale academic year as well as a weekly supplement called WKND and special issues such as the Game Day Issue, Commencement Issue and First Year Issue. The paper has a reputation for focusing on the needs and concerns of marginalized communities, and is an early leader in reporting on the AIDS epidemic. The Yale Daily News Historical Archive provides access to digitized editions of the Daily News dating back to 1996. This archive is made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous Yale alumnus.
The newspaper was the first to adopt a tabloid format and reached its peak circulation in 1947, with 2.4 million copies sold daily. The brassy and pictorial paper found ample subject matter in the raucous United States of the 1920s, covering political wrongdoing like the Teapot Dome scandal, social intrigue such as Wallis Simpson’s romance with King Edward VIII that led to his abdication, and sensational crime coverage. Its reporter Tom Howard strapped a small camera to his leg in 1928 and snapped a photo of Ruth Snyder mid-electrocution, which was published the next day with the headline “DEAD!”
After the Great Depression, the News was renamed the New York Daily News and became one of the most popular newspapers in the country. In 1936, the paper expanded into a spectacular new headquarters designed by Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells. This iconic Art Deco structure, later renamed the News Building, was the inspiration for the Daily Planet in the Superman movies.
In the 1990s, under editor-in-chief Pete Hamill and then Debby Krenek, the Daily News established a national reputation for investigative journalism on a wide variety of topics. In 1996, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary 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 the 2000s, the News suffered from a decline in readership that was accelerated by the advent of the Internet. The paper’s former owners, Tribune Publishing Company (later Tronc) tried to resuscitate the newspaper by cutting costs, including firing more than half its staff. After a brief resurgence, the paper’s circulation dropped below one million and its owner, the Tribune Company, sold the Daily News for a dollar in 2017. Since then, the newspaper has struggled to survive as the print media continues to decline. The Daily News features local and national news, intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads and a strong sports section. The Daily News app offers users the ability to read current stories, search and bookmark favorites, and share articles via email or Facebook. Each story includes comprehension and critical thinking questions that can be used to help students develop a deeper understanding of the news. Additionally, each article contains background and resources (video clips, maps, and links) to further support the learning of each topic.