Daily News, an American morning tabloid newspaper founded in 1919 as the Illustrated New York Daily News. It became the first daily newspaper published in tabloid format and reached a circulation peak in 1947 at 2.4 million copies per day, making it one of the largest newspapers in the United States. It attracted readers with sensational crime and human-interest stories, lurid photographs, classified ads, and cartoons.
The tabloid’s editorial viewpoints and coverage choices often placed it outside the mainstream of conservatism, and it is difficult to determine whether those positions were the primary reason readers purchased the paper or simply a byproduct of its plainspoken style and commitment to fight for the common people. It is clear, however, that the newspaper embraced its nickname, “the Tiger Paper,” as evidenced in an editorial on its fiftieth anniversary that vowed to continue fighting like a tiger for the “enormous, gigantic, metropolitan area of New York City.”
The News attracted reader interest with intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, and other entertainment features. Its commitment to fighting for New Yorkers’ interests also led to a strong focus on quality-of-life issues such as affordable rent, an efficient subway system, and clean, safe streets. It advocated for these goals with a conservative twist, urging government to ease development restrictions, allow the police to do their jobs without fear of political reprisals, and invite private enterprise to provide some city services in order to avoid raising taxes.
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