Founded in 1919, the New York Daily News is the oldest tabloid newspaper in the United States. Initially known as the Illustrated Daily News, it became the Daily News in 1922 and reached its peak circulation in 1947 at 2 million copies per day. The paper primarily attracted readers with sensational reporting of crime, violence, and scandal, lurid photographs, and cartoons. In addition to its local news coverage and national and international political stories, the Daily News featured celebrity gossip, classified ads, and sports and entertainment.

The Daily News is also notable for its extensive and innovative use of photography. The newspaper was a pioneer in the use of photojournalism, and its photographers won many awards for their work during this period. In particular, the newspaper’s front-page photograph of the 1928 murder of Ruth Snyder was an important event in the history of photojournalism and is considered one of the first examples of photojournalism used for a major breaking news story.

In its heyday, the Daily News was a major American newspaper and widely syndicated, with an outstanding international reporting staff that rivaled those of the other major afternoon newspapers. It was also noted for its emphasis on contributions by well-known writers. However, increasing competition in the publishing industry, financial problems, and changing editorial policies resulting from World War II led to a steady decline in readership and the paper folded in 1978.

The Yale Daily News Historical Archive contains digitized versions of the printed editions of the New York City-based daily newspaper from its inception in 1878 through 1996, including issues reprinted from the original print editions and issues published in the online format. The archive is a project of the Yale University Library and is available free of charge. In 2021, an anonymous Yale alumnus made a significant gift to support the migration of the Archive to a more user-friendly platform, facilitated the addition of issues from 1996 to the present, and will help ensure its ongoing maintenance and preservation.

Each Daily News article includes a set of comprehension and critical thinking questions, as well as “Background” and “Resources” (including video clips and maps) to support students’ reading. Additionally, a student-friendly version of the Daily News is available for download for easy use in classrooms.

Each day, the Daily News brings New York and beyond the latest headlines from around the globe. Our award-winning writers, columnists and opinion formers deliver the biggest news stories from America’s greatest city, and the top news in politics, entertainment and more. No one covers the Yankees, Mets and Giants like the Daily News.