The first newspapers in New York: history and interesting facts

The press in New York is an extensive network of print and online publications. Journalists from popular newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and others write articles that are read and discussed worldwide. Due to such a significant informational influence on society, New York publications are under the control of state authorities and often become the target of criticism. The first newspapers appeared in the 19th century. Read how they became independent and popular sources of up-to-date information at newyork1.one.

The New York Times

This is more than just the name of a newspaper. It is a brand in the publishing business. Over the years, the American daily newspaper The New York Times has earned the title of one of the most popular in the world. It spreads information about events and famous people in such areas as business, art, IT technologies, politics and others. People like The New York Times for its truthfulness and high quality of exclusive materials.

It was founded by journalist and politician Henry Jarvis Raymond. The New York Times has been published since September 18, 1851. At that time, most publishers printed fake news, articles and interviews. The mission of this newspaper was to provide readers with unbiased and useful information about events taking place in New York.

In 1896, the founder of the newspaper delegated control of the New York Times publishing house to Adolph Ochs. He increased the newspaper’s circulation from 19 to 400 thousand and popularized it in other states. The publication became popular because it contained unique and interesting facts, a large number of hot topics and informative blocks, exclusive interviews, high-quality typographic formatting and more. Later, The New York Times became an international business.

In 1971, the newspaper revealed confidential documents of the Pentagon that were spread worldwide. Soon, the American newspaper gained popularity and became an authoritative publication trusted by thousands of people.

Throughout the existence of The New York Times, its employees constantly improved it. They created new sections and subjects for discussion, as well as published more intriguing facts, interviews, articles and much more. In 1996, the first online edition of The New York Times was created, which surpassed the print version in popularity over time. Over 30 million people from different countries visit the newspaper’s website daily.

The Wall Street Journal

This is one of the largest American publications, which is published by Dow Jones & Company in New York. In 2010, its daily circulation was 2.1 million copies, and had 400,000 paid subscriptions on the newspaper’s website. Many are familiar with its name, The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper’s subject revolves around the Financial District of New York, Wall Street. Here, journalists provide information on events in international business and economics.

This publication was founded in 1874 by three American reporters. They began publishing financial reports about the events in the field of economy. Facts, research, and economic reviews of companies’ activities interested many readers and quickly increased demand for The Wall Street Journal. This was a novelty in the world of journalism in those years. By 1920, the number of newspaper copies had increased to 50,000.

Editor Bernard Kilgore had a significant impact on the popularity of this newspaper. He came up with the idea of placing an informational block called “What’s News?” on the front page to attract readers’ attention and worked out a strategy to distribute the publication across America.

The New York Herald Tribune 

In 1845, it was one of the most popular American newspapers. It was founded by journalist, editor and translator James Gordon Bennett. He believed that the mission of a newspaper was not to educate but to surprise people. Together with a team of journalists, he wrote about unusual events, sensations and the life stories of famous people. Unlike many other publishers, they did not support any political parties and rarely published articles about politics.

Part of the earnings from newspaper sales were used for scientific research in distant corners of the Earth. For example, financial aid was granted to journalist, explorer and researcher Henry Morton Stanley for a scientific expedition to Africa and to sailor George De Long for a trip to the North Pole. Exclusive details about the outcomes of their and other scientists’ research were published in the New York Herald Tribune newspaper. As a result, it attracted new readers.

In 1887, a European version of this newspaper appeared. Like the American edition, it was published for several years. During this period, the owners of this newspaper changed a few times. Ultimately, it was bought out by the New York Times publishing company. Since then, the New York Herald Tribune has been sold in 180 countries around the world.

The Sun

The New York daily newspaper was published from 1833 to 1950. It was a broadsheet publication that covered the latest events in New York City. Initially, the newspaper released a morning edition since its name, The Sun, was associated with sunrise. The creator of such a title and the founder of this publication was the New York journalist Benjamin Day. He wanted to create a newspaper that everyone would be interested in. Besides, Benjamin enjoyed reading the latest news in the morning like many other New Yorkers. This inspired him to create his own publication.

The popularity of The Sun newspaper was boosted due to a number of articles about lunar exploration. They were written by the English astronomer, physicist and inventor John Frederick William Herschel. Many Americans were introduced to this newspaper through an article about a flight across the Atlantic in a hot air balloon by the writer and literary genius Edgar Allan Poe. The exciting story of the extraordinary journey in the air sparked great interest and many controversial opinions.

The New York World

This is another popular newspaper that also significantly contributed to the development of the American press. It was published in New York from 1860 to 1931. Many Americans remembered it for promoting the Democratic Party, one of the two largest parties in the USA at that time. It shaped national views, united Americans and introduced new reforms in politics, economics, culture and other spheres of life.

For many years, the New York World drew attention by publishing sensations and scandals around the world, increasing its daily circulation to 1 million copies. The newspaper expanded its audience by reporting news about public figures and events in their lives. 

The Forward

It was the first Yiddish-language newspaper in New York. It was created during the Soviet years by Jewish trade unions to promote socialist ideas among immigrants. The mass immigration of Jewish people to the USA in the 1920s and 1930s rapidly increased the newspaper’s circulation from 120,000 to 275,000 copies per year. Thus, the publication became popular not only in the USA but in other countries as well.

However, after World War II, the number of Yiddish-speaking people in the USA reduced. As a result, the newspaper’s circulation dropped to 56,126 copies. To restore the high demand for The Forward, representatives of the Jewish community decided to publish it weekly and create an English-language supplement. For the next few years, the newspaper was published in print and online formats. The Forward stopped releasing a printed version after the 2000s. Now, it is a website with a daily news feed and articles in two languages, English and Yiddish.

More from author

Emma Navarro: The Story of a Tennis Breakout Star

Emma Navarro is a successful American tennis player and one of the country’s brightest hopes. At just 24, she has already exceeded expectations and...

Eric Kendel is a professor at Columbia University and one of the founders of modern neuroscience

Eric Kandel is an American neurobiologist and psychiatrist, a Nobel laureate, and a Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries regarding...

The Morgan Library, which is also a large, prestigious museum

The Morgan Library & Museum is a unique cultural complex, rare book library, and research center that grew out of the private collection of...
....... .