For a time, the brawny New York tabloid was the best-selling metropolitan daily newspaper in America. In its heyday, it was described as “snappy, brassy and pictorial,” and in 1926 the News reached a circulation of more than one million copies. Today it is less snazzy, but the Daily News is still a leading daily, and its editorial pages often draw on the city’s political, cultural and social life to produce strong commentary and analysis.
After the death of its founder, Robert Maxwell, in 1991 and the failure of his eponymous holding company, the newspaper fell on hard times. In 1993 businessman Mortimer Zuckerman took over and promised to turn the Daily News into a serious “serious tabloid,” with a focus on politics and local news.
The first major change was the purchase of a Goss four-color printing press. In September 1997 the News began publishing its weekday editions in color; this made the News the only national daily tabloid to publish in color. But the use of color was short-lived; by March 1998 the Daily News reverted to black and white.
The News developed a reputation, with publisher Zuckerman and editor-in-chief Debby Krenek at the helm, for fighting for First Amendment rights and opening up government records. The paper won significant court victories in cases involving the city’s Board of Education and other matters, and it strengthened public access to family court records. In addition, the News was known for its investigative reporting.