Dayton Daily News
Encyclopedia
The Dayton Daily News is a daily newspaper
published in Dayton, Ohio
. It is owned by Cox Enterprises
. In the 2010 Associated Press Society of Ohio newspaper competition that takes place every year, DaytonDailyNews.com was named "the best large-newspaper web site in Ohio".
purchased the Dayton Evening News. One week later, on August 22, 1898 he renamed it the Dayton Daily News.
The paper was founded with the intention of pioneering a new type of journalism, keeping weak ties to politicians and advertisers while seeking objectivity and public advocacy as primary functions. These goals pushed the paper in the direction of valuing the public interest.
A Sunday edition was launched on November 2, 1913. In 1948, Cox purchased two morning papers, The Journal and The Herald, from the Herrick-Kumler Company. The next year he combined them to form The Journal Herald.
For the next four decades, The Journal-Herald was the conservative morning paper, and the Dayton Daily News (which had a larger circulation) was the liberal evening paper. The papers operated newsrooms on separate floors of the same building in downtown Dayton. On September 15, 1986, The Journal-Herald and the Daily News were merged to become a morning paper, the Dayton Daily News and Journal-Herald, with both names appearing on the front page. The Journal-Herald name last appeared on the paper's front-page flag on December 31, 1987.
The newspaper's editorial position traditionally has been thought of as liberal, reflecting the historical voting habits of local readers as well as the person who gave the paper its current name, but over the past decade the editorial board favored Republican and Democratic candidates more equally and tended to favor incumbents of either party over challengers. In 2011, the paper stopped endorsing candidates for office and its news coverage tilted conservative, taking a noticeable pro-business, anti-labor and anti-government posture.
Cox was the Democratic Party's candidate for U.S. President in the election of 1920, and the city of Dayton has voted for the Democratic candidate
in presidential elections since. Cox's running mate for vice president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt
, who was elected president in 1932.
Although Cox was a champion of organized labor, the newspaper and its parent company have long had a hostile relationship with its own unions. In 1999 it locked out truck drivers after a one-day job action during labor negotiations. The company ultimately paid $1 million in compensation to the workers after a six-year court battle. The Daily News has stonewalled its editorial union -- representing reporters, photographers, copy editors, editorial assistants and artists -- for more than a quarter century, refusing to agree to a contract since one signed in 1986 expired in 1989. In 2007, the paper declared impasse after nearly a year of renewed contract talks with the editorial union, imposing its final offer.
In 1998, reporters Russell Carollo
and Jeff Nesmith
won the Pulitzer Prize
for their reporting on dangerous flaws and mismanagement in the military health care system, a series very relevant to its readership because of the presence of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
in neighboring Greene County
.
The paper is the home of cartoonist Mike Peters, who draws the Mother Goose and Grimm
strip and won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1981, and columnist Dale Huffman
, who had written a daily metro column every day for more than eight years before beginning a hiatus on January 30, 2008 after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
In 2006, the paper enacted a major editorial "reinvention" intended to attract light, young and occasional readers and allowing for a major reduction in the size of the paper and the amount of space for news stories. The result was thousands of canceled subscriptions. Most of the changes associated with reinvention -- short stories, heavy use of graphics, lists and boxes and a rule preventing section front stories from continuing on inside pages, were abandoned in 2011 as part of an effort to end the deep slide in subscriptions. The newspaper has since returned its focus to traditional journalism, including an emphasis on rooting out government waste.
The paper was led by Jeff Bruce as editor from 1998 to 2008. Bruce replaced Max Jennings, who retired. When Bruce retired in 2007 Kevin Riley, 44, a graduate of the University of Dayton
was named editor. Riley spent most of his career with the paper, starting as a copy editor and later serving as sports editor, Internet general manager, and publisher of the Springfield News-Sun
in Springfield, Ohio
. He was promoted from deputy editor.
In 2010, Riley was named editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and that paper's editor, Julia Wallace, was moved to Dayton to head a new combined newspaper, television and radio newsroom. She was soon after named publisher and Jana Collier promoted to editor from managing editor. In July of 2011 Wallace fired editorial page editor Ellen Belcher and revamped the editorial page, which no longer writes traditional editorials and is overseen by Ron Rollins, who has the title of associate editor.
The paper's editorial offices were in downtown Dayton for more than 100 years. Since 1999, the paper has been printed at a modern facility near Interstate 75
in Franklin
, about fifteen miles to the south. In April, 2007, the newspaper's editorial and business offices moved to the former NCR
Building 31 at 1611 S. Main St. on Dayton's south side, near the University of Dayton
campus and suburban Oakwood. In late 2010/early 2011 the studios of sister television station WHIO-TV
was relocated to the new facility.
The fate of the paper's historic downtown building is unknown. For now, it sits empty and unused.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. It is owned by Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is the successor to the publishing company founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States, by James Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. He was the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in the election of 1920...
. In the 2010 Associated Press Society of Ohio newspaper competition that takes place every year, DaytonDailyNews.com was named "the best large-newspaper web site in Ohio".
History
On August 15, 1898, James M. CoxJames M. Cox
James Middleton Cox was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920....
purchased the Dayton Evening News. One week later, on August 22, 1898 he renamed it the Dayton Daily News.
The paper was founded with the intention of pioneering a new type of journalism, keeping weak ties to politicians and advertisers while seeking objectivity and public advocacy as primary functions. These goals pushed the paper in the direction of valuing the public interest.
A Sunday edition was launched on November 2, 1913. In 1948, Cox purchased two morning papers, The Journal and The Herald, from the Herrick-Kumler Company. The next year he combined them to form The Journal Herald.
For the next four decades, The Journal-Herald was the conservative morning paper, and the Dayton Daily News (which had a larger circulation) was the liberal evening paper. The papers operated newsrooms on separate floors of the same building in downtown Dayton. On September 15, 1986, The Journal-Herald and the Daily News were merged to become a morning paper, the Dayton Daily News and Journal-Herald, with both names appearing on the front page. The Journal-Herald name last appeared on the paper's front-page flag on December 31, 1987.
The newspaper's editorial position traditionally has been thought of as liberal, reflecting the historical voting habits of local readers as well as the person who gave the paper its current name, but over the past decade the editorial board favored Republican and Democratic candidates more equally and tended to favor incumbents of either party over challengers. In 2011, the paper stopped endorsing candidates for office and its news coverage tilted conservative, taking a noticeable pro-business, anti-labor and anti-government posture.
Cox was the Democratic Party's candidate for U.S. President in the election of 1920, and the city of Dayton has voted for the Democratic candidate
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in presidential elections since. Cox's running mate for vice president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, who was elected president in 1932.
Although Cox was a champion of organized labor, the newspaper and its parent company have long had a hostile relationship with its own unions. In 1999 it locked out truck drivers after a one-day job action during labor negotiations. The company ultimately paid $1 million in compensation to the workers after a six-year court battle. The Daily News has stonewalled its editorial union -- representing reporters, photographers, copy editors, editorial assistants and artists -- for more than a quarter century, refusing to agree to a contract since one signed in 1986 expired in 1989. In 2007, the paper declared impasse after nearly a year of renewed contract talks with the editorial union, imposing its final offer.
In 1998, reporters Russell Carollo
Russell Carollo
Russell Carollo is an American journalist, and special projects reporter with The Sacramento Bee. With Jeff Nesmith, he won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting,and the 1996 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.-Life:...
and Jeff Nesmith
Jeff Nesmith
Jeff Nesmith is an American journalist. Together with Russell Carrollo, he won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1998.-Life:He is a graduate of the University of Florida....
won the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for their reporting on dangerous flaws and mismanagement in the military health care system, a series very relevant to its readership because of the presence of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
in neighboring Greene County
Greene County, Ohio
Greene County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 161,573 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Xenia, and it was named for General Nathanael Greene, an officer in the Revolutionary War. Greene County was established on March 24, 1803.Greene County is part...
.
The paper is the home of cartoonist Mike Peters, who draws the Mother Goose and Grimm
Mother Goose and Grimm
Mother Goose and Grimm is an internationally syndicated comic strip by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters. It was first syndicated in 1984 and is distributed by King Features Syndicate to more than 800 newspapers...
strip and won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1981, and columnist Dale Huffman
Dale Huffman
Dale Huffman is a columnist for the Dayton Daily News. After 10 years in Cincinnati, Ohio as a television and newspaper reporter Dale returned to his hometown and began work at the Daily News on June 14, 1968. For over 8 years he wrote a 7-day-a-week column profiling local citizens, never missing...
, who had written a daily metro column every day for more than eight years before beginning a hiatus on January 30, 2008 after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
In 2006, the paper enacted a major editorial "reinvention" intended to attract light, young and occasional readers and allowing for a major reduction in the size of the paper and the amount of space for news stories. The result was thousands of canceled subscriptions. Most of the changes associated with reinvention -- short stories, heavy use of graphics, lists and boxes and a rule preventing section front stories from continuing on inside pages, were abandoned in 2011 as part of an effort to end the deep slide in subscriptions. The newspaper has since returned its focus to traditional journalism, including an emphasis on rooting out government waste.
The paper was led by Jeff Bruce as editor from 1998 to 2008. Bruce replaced Max Jennings, who retired. When Bruce retired in 2007 Kevin Riley, 44, a graduate of the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
was named editor. Riley spent most of his career with the paper, starting as a copy editor and later serving as sports editor, Internet general manager, and publisher of the Springfield News-Sun
Springfield News-Sun
The Springfield News-Sun is a daily newspaper published in Springfield, Ohio by Cox Enterprises, which also publishes the Dayton Daily News. Both newspapers contain similar editorial content, but tailor their local news coverage to the area served. The News-Sun primarily serves Springfield and...
in Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
. He was promoted from deputy editor.
In 2010, Riley was named editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and that paper's editor, Julia Wallace, was moved to Dayton to head a new combined newspaper, television and radio newsroom. She was soon after named publisher and Jana Collier promoted to editor from managing editor. In July of 2011 Wallace fired editorial page editor Ellen Belcher and revamped the editorial page, which no longer writes traditional editorials and is overseen by Ron Rollins, who has the title of associate editor.
The paper's editorial offices were in downtown Dayton for more than 100 years. Since 1999, the paper has been printed at a modern facility near Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
in Franklin
Franklin, Ohio
Not to be confused with Franklin County, Ohio.Franklin is a city in Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,771 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, about fifteen miles to the south. In April, 2007, the newspaper's editorial and business offices moved to the former NCR
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation is an American technology company specializing in kiosk products for the retail, financial, travel, healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check...
Building 31 at 1611 S. Main St. on Dayton's south side, near the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
campus and suburban Oakwood. In late 2010/early 2011 the studios of sister television station WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Dayton, Ohio, serving that state's Miami Valley area. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from its transmitter on Germantown Street in western Dayton....
was relocated to the new facility.
The fate of the paper's historic downtown building is unknown. For now, it sits empty and unused.
Notable employees
The following people at some point worked at or wrote for the Dayton Daily News:- Erma BombeckErma BombeckErma Louise Bombeck was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s...
(at The Herald) - Si BurickSi BurickSimon "Si" Burick was a sports editor and featured columnist for the Dayton Daily News for 58 years. Burick received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award on July 23, 1983, and was inducted into the writers section of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
- Ritter CollettRitter CollettRitter Collett was a sports editor and columnist for the Dayton Journal-Herald and Dayton Daily News for over fifty years. Collett, a native of Ironton, Ohio began his career in 1946 for the then-Dayton Journal...
(at The Journal-Herald) - James M. CoxJames M. CoxJames Middleton Cox was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920....
- Dale HuffmanDale HuffmanDale Huffman is a columnist for the Dayton Daily News. After 10 years in Cincinnati, Ohio as a television and newspaper reporter Dale returned to his hometown and began work at the Daily News on June 14, 1968. For over 8 years he wrote a 7-day-a-week column profiling local citizens, never missing...
- Hal McCoyHal McCoyHal McCoy is the Cincinnati Reds writer at FOXSportsOhio.com and a former beat writer for the Dayton Daily News , covering the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. He was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 as the winner of the J. G...
- Jeff NesmithJeff NesmithJeff Nesmith is an American journalist. Together with Russell Carrollo, he won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1998.-Life:He is a graduate of the University of Florida....
- Mike Peters
- John ScalziJohn ScalziJohn Michael Scalzi II is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, released by Tor Books in January 2005, and for his blog , at which he has written...
- Myron ScottMyron ScottMyron E. Scott was the creator of the All-American Soap Box Derby. He is also credited with naming Chevrolet's sports car, the Corvette. Scott was born in Camden, Ohio...
- Dennis ShereDennis ShereDennis Shere is the author of two books. In August, 2005, he wrote ', a book about the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. In November, 2010, he wrote "The Last Meal -- Defending an Accused Mass Murderer," , the story of the murder of seven fast food workers, and the arrest and conviction of...
- Dann StuppDann StuppDann Stupp currently runs the mixed martial arts website MMAjunkie.com. Formerly known as UFCjunkie.com his well sponsored site is one of the more popular MMA blogs on the net and has a partnership with Yahoo! Sports.-Biography:He is also the regular MMA columnist for the Dayton Daily News and a...