The Daily News is an English-language newspaper in the United States, founded in 1919 as the Illustrated Daily News by Joseph Medill Patterson. It was the first tabloid newspaper published in the United States, and at its peak circulation numbered over two million copies per day. The paper was renowned for sensational news stories and photos, with particular emphasis on political wrongdoing and social intrigue (such as the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to his abdication).
In addition to its extensive city news coverage, the Daily News also featured celebrity gossip, classified ads, comics, and sports sections. Its editorial stance was described by one historian as being “flexibly centrist” with a populist legacy. In the 1930s, it embraced isolationism and supported Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal; in the 1950s and 1960s, it was a supporter of conservative populism. In the 1970s, it began shifting its stance toward liberalism.
Today, the Daily News is owned by Tronc, a media company that also owns the Chicago Tribune and several other newspapers. The newspaper carries out its mission as the nation’s leading source of local news and information by operating a large network of bureaus in New York City and other major cities, a website, and mobile apps. The Daily News also maintains a strong social media presence, especially on Facebook and Twitter.
The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains digitized versions of printed issues of the Daily News, the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. Its content is fully searchable and browsable. The archive consists of nearly 140 years of YDN reporting. The Archive is freely accessible to all users and is maintained by the Library of Yale University.
YDN is published Monday through Friday during the academic year and serves the Yale and New Haven communities. YDN’s staff includes many students who go on to distinguished careers in journalism and public service. In recent years, YDN has also produced special issues celebrating the Yale community’s Indigenous, Black and AAPI communities in collaboration with campus cultural centers and affiliated student groups.
In addition to its online and mobile editions, YDN prints a daily newspaper that is distributed across the city of New Haven. The News also publishes a weekly WEEKEND supplement, the Yale Daily News Magazine and a number of special issues each year.