A History of the New York Daily News and Its Populist Politics

FAIN: FT-286210-22

Matthew Pressman
Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ 07079-2697)

Research leading to a history of the New York Daily News and its relation to politics.

No newspaper in American history sold more copies than the New York Daily News at its height in the mid-20th century. This book project will tell the story of the paper from its founding in 1919, as the first tabloid in the United States, through its struggles to survive in the digital age. Although its ideology has shifted over the years—from apolitical to right-wing to centrist to liberal—each iteration of the Daily News had a populist edge. It aimed not only to inform its readers but also to forge a bond with them, by voicing their fears, fighting their fights, and creating a sense of community based on shared identity. This style of tabloid journalism was often dismissed as unimportant, yet it helped shape the worldview of tens of millions of readers. Relying on archival research, original interviews, and content analysis, this will be the definitive history of an institution that had an immeasurable yet underappreciated impact on American journalism, politics, and culture.