A newspaper is a publication printed on paper and issued regularly, often daily or weekly. It contains news stories and opinions written by journalists about current events. Most newspapers focus on politics, celebrity news, crime, sports and popular opinions.
A good newspaper headline should be short and snappy, and it should catch the reader’s attention. It should also be informative and interesting. Newspapers often use puns and other word play to make their headlines more memorable. They may also include important dates and statistics.
The Daily News was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, a publisher of the Chicago Tribune. He hoped to launch a paper that would rival the sensational New York Post. At the time, the News was one of the most successful tabloids in the country. By 1947, its distribution had reached its peak. The paper had a reputation for brassy pictorial coverage and a willingness to go further than its competitors in the pursuit of an attention-grabbing front page. For example, in 1928 a reporter strapped a small camera to his leg and snapped an image of Ruth Snyder being executed in the electric chair. The next day, the paper published a picture of her mid-electrocution with the infamous headline “DEAD!”
In the early 21st century, the News was owned by New York Daily News, Inc., with businessman Mortimer Zuckerman as chairman and copublisher. It struggled to compete with its even more sensational rival, the New York Post, and its circulation had eroded from its mid-20th century high point.
Zuckerman made several big changes to the newspaper in an attempt to rediscover its earning potential and reposition it as a serious tabloid. He invested $60 million towards color presses, which enabled the News to match the visual quality of USA Today. In addition, the newspaper began a successful quarterly insert called BET Weekend for African Americans.
In 1996, the News won two Pulitzer Prizes, for its coverage of police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima and for a series on poverty in America. The newspaper gained a reputation for its commitment to protecting the First Amendment rights of people who did not speak for themselves. It also developed a strong reputation for its editorials and columns, which focused on the needs of marginalized communities.
Each article in the Daily News comes with a set of comprehension and critical thinking questions that will help your students develop their knowledge about the topic. The questions are designed to be aligned with Common Core State Standards. The articles also provide “Background” and “Resources” (including videos clips, maps and links) to support your students’ research. You can access these at the bottom of each article. If you would like to receive a Daily News article each day, sign up here.