Death of the Daily News
The Yale Daily News is America’s oldest college newspaper, published each day during the academic year at Yale. The News provides Yale students and the community with in-depth reporting and commentary on current events and news in and around New Haven and Yale. The News also publishes a Friday supplement known as WKND, the Yale Daily News Magazine and several special issues each year in partnership with Yale’s cultural centers and affiliated student groups. The News has been financially and editorially independent since its founding on January 28, 1878. Yale Daily News alumni have gone on to serve in leadership positions in government, business, the media and civil society and have helped shape national discourse through their work and public service.
In a time when many local newspapers are disappearing, Death of the Daily News offers an important and timely look at what happens when a town loses its primary source of news. With perceptive and deeply reported coverage, Andrew Conte tells the story of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, which lost its daily paper in 2015 and has struggled to make sense of life without a regular news source. His tale is a warning, but it is also a story of hope, as he follows residents as they grapple with the loss of their local newspaper and find ways to fill the gap with online sources like social media and blogs.
The Daily News is an American tabloid founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the Illustrated Daily News. It was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format and reached its peak circulation in 1947. Today, it is owned by tronc, and its editorial content tends to reflect a liberal bias.
With a wide variety of subjects from intense city news coverage to celebrity gossip and classified ads, the Daily News was one of the most widely read newspapers in the United States during its heyday, and it is still the ninth most-circulated newspaper in the country. Throughout its history, the Daily News has been known for sensational headlines and for its focus on politics, crime and entertainment.
With its timely and thought-provoking subject matter, this is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in journalism or the future of local media. The author is an expert on this topic, and he has written a well-researched book that should be used to begin a much-needed discussion about the future of local journalism in our digital age. It is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on how to best sustain and strengthen the free press. The book also makes the case that local journalism is more than just a consumer product—it is a vital public good. An essential addition to the literature on American journalism.