Death of the Daily News

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Founded in 1919, the New York Daily News was the first tabloid newspaper in the United States and reached its peak circulation of 2.4 million daily copies. Originally owned by Joseph Medill Patterson and later the Tribune Company, it was known for sensational crime, scandal, and celebrity coverage, lurid photographs, cartoons and comics, and intense city news coverage. The newspaper is currently owned by tronc, Inc. and is headquartered in Manhattan West.

Today’s newspapers face many challenges, but the biggest threat may be the extinction of local journalism. It is widely believed that when local newspapers disappear, civic engagement suffers and communities become isolated. Andrew Conte’s Death of the Daily News takes a close look at what happens when a local newspaper dies, and the societal impact it can have.

Conte presents a detailed anatomy of what a community goes through when a local paper disappears, and he provides an invaluable guide for the future of local journalism. He exposes the weaknesses of traditional top-down journalism, and he shows how citizens can fill the gap as gatekeepers to their own information.

Throughout the book, Conte examines the many reasons why local journalism is in trouble and provides an insider’s view of the struggles that have caused the demise of so many papers. He concludes that the answer to preserving local journalism lies not in government subsidies, but rather in the public truly understanding the value of knowing what is happening in their own backyard. Death of the Daily News is a riveting study that will have broad appeal.