The Ny Daily News

The Daily News has a status that is both highly-regarded and hotly-contested. It has won ten Pulitzer Prizes since it came into circulation in 1919, and is one of the most widely-distributed papers in the world today. The original owner was Joseph Patterson, who was also the publisher of the Chicago Tribune, and wanted to run a paper in New York. He also wanted to do something that would speak more directly to the people of New York than a reproduction of his Chicago paper's format, and found his inspiration in London's Daily Mirror. What was most appealing about the London paper was its tabloid format, and it has been billed as the picture newspaper for a number of decades, emphasizing photographs over content.

A number of the by-lines in the paper are not actual people. Patterson believed that readers might drop off if they learned that their favorite writers died, so, following a rather eccentric kind of foresight, he came up with the idea of creating fake by-lines. It's one of many little eccentricities, or some might say unique touches, that distinguish this paper from all the others. The paper's reputation as a tabloid would probably be considered very well-regarded, as far as tabloids go. It's rather famous, renowned, or perhaps even a bit infamous, for its spectacularly sensational nature. A peek at just some of the headlines reveal an attempt to capture the attention of the usual passers-by as much as conveying any actual news. As such, there is an emphasis on the usual news, but there are special considerations given to celebrity gossip, and human interest stories blown up for the most sensational effect.

There have been a number of interesting and very media-savvy writers who have worked for the paper over the decades, all contributing to its success in attracting a wide readership. In part, this is based on an almost tongue-in-cheek attempt to take it very seriously on the part of the readers, but it also tends to rankle and cause the reader's own biases and opinions to come to light. It certainly feeds into the way New Yorkers like to argue, posing what some would consider to be outlandish statements, simply in order to generate response. This is an old-school kind of journalism, of the kind that inspired the Superman comics to offer their own parodied version of it in the Daily Planet, and as such, is something of a local tradition.

By: Maria Alvarez

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Maria Alvarez left behind a career in banking to follow her passion as a writer and photojournalist. Her passions for travel, exploring culture, food, and music are constantly giving her new ideas for articles and photo essays.