The Daily News is a tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The first successful daily tabloid in the United States, it was founded in 1919 as the Illustrated Daily News by Joseph Medill Patterson. In the 1920s it attracted readers with sensational coverage of crime, scandal and violence; lurid photographs; and cartoons and other entertainment features. During this period the paper was regarded as a leader among American newspapers and had one of the nation’s largest circulations.

By the 1940s its distribution had reached 2.4 million copies per day, solidifying its status as a major player in the publishing industry. Like many popular dailies of the era, the Daily News was outspokenly politically conservative. It also was an early user of Associated Press wirephoto services and maintained a large staff of photographers. The paper also emphasized social intrigue, such as the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to his abdication.

In 1975 the Daily News rolled out what would become its most famous headline: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD”. The screamer was prompted by President Gerald Ford’s decision to reject a bailout for bankrupt New York City. Ford later credited the infamous headline for contributing to his defeat in the 1976 presidential election to Jimmy Carter. The Daily News continued to compete with the rival New York Post and, by 2016, its circulation had fallen considerably from its 1940s heyday.

During the 1980s the newspaper was losing $1 million a month. The Daily News’s parent company, the Tribune Company, offered it for sale. Although the newspaper was not profitable, a decision to close it would have been costly because of severance pay and pensions that employees were due. A bid by newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell was accepted. Maxwell negotiated contracts with nine of the paper’s ten unions, allowing him to keep the Daily News in business.

Today’s Daily News brings you national and local news, New York exclusives, politics, and the latest in celebrity gossip and entertainment. We scour 100+ sources so you don’t have to, and deliver it all in your favorite format — a quick, easy five-minute read.

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