Founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, who worked for the Chicago Tribune, daily news was the first successful tabloid newspaper in the United States. It attracted readers with sensational pictorial coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photos and cartoons, and entertainment features. The paper was often critical of government policies and attracted the ire of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, who accused it of disloyalty.
Its popularity grew as a result of the success of its new printing method (it was the first national paper to print simultaneously in both London and Manchester) and its willingness to go the extra mile to get a front-page story. One of the most famous examples occurred in 1928 when a reporter strapped a camera to his leg and captured the photo of Ruth Snyder being electrocuted in the electric chair after she killed her husband.
The News was also renowned for its commitment to covering stories in the public interest, and won a Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1996 for E. R. Shipp’s pieces on race and welfare issues, and in 1998 for Mike McAlary’s coverage of police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. In the late 1990s, under new editor-in-chief Pete Hamill and then Debby Krenek, the paper developed a reputation for protecting First Amendment rights and the rights of the citizens of New York City.
The News was based at 220 East 42nd Street, an art deco building designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. In 1995, the newspaper moved to a larger space at 450 West 33rd Street, formerly known as Manhattan West. The original building, which featured a large globe in the lobby and was used as the model for the Daily Planet in the first two Superman movies, now houses the World Headquarters of The Associated Press.
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