Founded on January 28, 1878, the Yale Daily News is the oldest college newspaper in the United States. Many of its alumni have gone on to achieve prominent positions in journalism and public service, including William F. Buckley, Lan Samantha Chang, Joseph Lieberman, Sargent Shriver, Strobe Talbott, and many others. In addition to its renowned journalistic staff, the paper is known for its extensive editorial cartoons. The YDN Historical Archive contains digitized versions of printed issues from over 140 years.
In 1947, the Daily News reached its circulation peak and dominated the nation’s tabloid market in the wake of World War II. By then it was already a pioneer in the use of wire photo service and employed several professional photographers. Throughout the decade the paper remained in circulation battle with its even more sensational rival, The New York Post. The Daily News continued to win readers through its bold headlines, ranging from the highly inflammatory, such as “Ford to City: Drop Dead!” (which was later adapted into the Superman franchise movie, The Daily Planet) to the more light-hearted and entertaining, like its 1975 satirical depiction of President Ford as a statue of liberty arm reaching out to touch Donald Trump, announcing: “Trump to World: Drop Dead!”
The paper also expanded its empire in the early 1980s by establishing a television station with call letters based on the newspaper’s nickname, WPIX; acquiring what became a popular FM radio station, WFAN-FM; and by expanding its advertising departments. However, its union-influenced labor costs, which swallowed 44 percent of the newspaper’s revenue at one point, began to take their toll on profitability in the late 1980s. During this period, the Daily News was considering closing down entirely but was unable to find a buyer willing to take on the debts and severance pay obligations that would have resulted in a costly payout for its employees.
Amid the turmoil of the early 1990s, it was clear that the mighty Daily News was rapidly losing its dominant position in the national tabloid market. In an effort to rediscover its earning potential, publisher Mort Zuckerman invested $60 million towards color presses enabling the News to match the visual quality of USA Today, then the largest daily newspaper in the country. In 1993, the Daily News, which had been on the brink of extinction just two years earlier, finally returned to profitability.
Despite its resurgence, in the early 21st century the Daily News suffered from a steep decline in readership. The arrival of the internet and the rise of online news sources began to chip away at traditional print outlets nationwide. The Daily News, though, continued to fight hard to retain its relevance as a local news source and its venerable reputation for delivering the truth. In a bold attempt to reinvigorate its brand, the newspaper reverted back to some of its more outrageous and outlandish headlines from its past. These included giving incoming Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz the middle finger from the Statue of Liberty and repeating its most famous headline, “TRUMP TO WORLD: DROP DEAD!” in an attempt to grab the public’s attention.