Founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, the Daily News was the first successful tabloid newspaper in the United States. From the beginning, it attracted readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and entertainment features. It also emphasized political wrongdoing, such as the Teapot Dome scandal, and social intrigue, such as Wallis Simpson’s romance with King Edward VIII, which led to the latter’s abdication. The News was also a leader in photography, being an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service and employing a large staff of photographers.
By the 1990s, however, it had shifted its stance from conservative populism to moderately liberal. During this time it battled with its rival, the New York Post, for circulation in the city.
In 1995 the News moved to a location on 450 West 33rd Street (now called 5 Manhattan West), where it continues to be published today. It was designed by architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood and formerly housed the News’s radio station WPIX-TV, whose call letters were based on its nickname, “New York’s Picture Newspaper.” Today the building is home to television studios for CBS and NBC and is an official city and national landmark.
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