Des Moines Register
Encyclopedia
The Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper
of Des Moines, Iowa
, in the United States
. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa
.
in 1908. The Tribune, which merged with the rival Des Moines News in 1924 and the Des Moines Capital in 1927, served as the evening paper for the Des Moines area until it ended publication on September 25, 1982.)
Under the ownership of Cowles Media Company
, the Register became Iowa's largest and most influential newspaper, eventually adopting the slogan "The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon." Newspapers were distributed to all four corners of the state by train and later by truck as Iowa's highway system was improving.
's The Spirit fronting a 16-page Sunday supplement known colloquially as "The Spirit Section". This was a tabloid-sized newsprint comic book sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies.
The Register employed reporters in cities and towns throughout Iowa, and it covered national and international news stories from an Iowa perspective, even setting up its own news bureau in Washington, D.C.
in 1933. During the 1960s, circulation of the Register peaked at nearly 250,000 for the daily edition and 500,000 for the Sunday edition–more than the population of Des Moines at the time. In 1935, the Register & Tribune Company founded radio station KRNT-AM, named after the newspapers' nickname, "the R 'n T." In 1955, the company, renamed Cowles Communications some years earlier, founded Des Moines' third television station, KRNT-TV, which was renamed KCCI
after the radio station was sold in 1974. Cowles eventually acquired other newspapers, radio stations and television stations, but almost all of them were sold to other companies by 1985.
In 1906, the newspaper's first front-page editorial cartoon
, illustrated by Jay Norwood Darling
, was published; the tradition of front-page editorial cartoons continued until December 4, 2008 when 25-year veteran cartoonist Brian Duffy was let go in a round of staff cuts. In 1943, the Register became the first newspaper to sponsor a statewide opinion poll
when it introduced the Iowa Poll, modeled after Iowan George Gallup's national Gallup poll. Sports coverage was increased under sports editor Garner "Sec" Taylor – for whom Sec Taylor Field at Principal Park
is named – in the 1920s. For many years the Register printed its sports sections on peach
-colored paper, but that tradition ended for the daily paper in 1981 and for the Sunday Register's "Big Peach" in 1999. Another Register tradition – the sponsorship of RAGBRAI
– began in 1973 when writer John Karras challenged columnist Donald Kaul to do a border-to-border bicycle
ride across Iowa. The liberal-leaning editorial page has recently brought Donald Kaul back for Sunday opinion columns. Other local columns have faded and given way to Gannett-distributed material.
In 1985, faced with declining circulation and revenues, the Cowles family sold off its various properties to different owners, with the Register going to Gannett. At the time of sale, only The New York Times had won more Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting. In 1990, the Register began to reduce its coverage of news outside of the Des Moines area by closing most of its Iowa news bureaus and ending carrier distribution to outlying counties, although an "Iowa Edition" of the Register is still distributed throughout most of the state. Many of the Register's news stories and editorials focus on Des Moines and its suburb
s.
The Register opened a new printing and distribution facility on the south side of Des Moines in 2000. The newspaper's offices are located in downtown Des Moines. On June 1, 2005, the Register launched a weekly tabloid publication, Juice, which features entertainment and lifestyle stories targeted at the 25 to 34-year-old demographic. They also launched dmJuice.com in conjunction with the free weekly publication.
and was a delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention
, was an advocate of progressive Republicanism.The new owners presented a variety of viewpoints, including Darling cartoons that frequently made fun of progressive politicians.
During the Cowles' family's ownership, the Register's editorial page philosophy was generally more liberal in its outlook than editorial pages of other Iowa newspapers, but there were notable exceptions. Garner Cowles Sr. served in the administration of President Herbert Hoover
. The publishers strongly supported Republican Wendell Willkie
's 1940 presidential campaign against Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt
. The newspaper also supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower's campaigns for the Republican nomination and general election in 1952, and again in 1956.. Although the Register endorsed presidential candidates Lyndon B. Johnson
in 1964, Hubert Humphrey
in 1968, and Jimmy Carter
in 1976, it endorsed Richard Nixon
in 1960 and 1972.
The paper was a severe critic of George W. Bush
's warrantless wiretapping strategy, claiming that in doing so, "President Bush has declared war on the American people."
In December 2007, two weeks before the 2008 Iowa caucuses, the Register endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton
(in the Democratic caucuses) and John McCain
(in the Republican caucuses). In October 2008, the Register endorsed Barack Obama
for president in the general election.
laws. The Register filed suit against CIETC in 2006, claiming it violated open meeting laws when it closed certain meetings to the public. On May 30, 2007, the lawsuit was amended to included twenty-three current and former board members of CIETC as defendants in the suit, including thirteen elected officials.
Iowa Student Loan subsequently sought an injunction that would have blocked the Iowa Board of Regents from releasing the emails in question to the newspaper.
The Des Moines Register also sought emails from the Iowa Division of Banking, a state agency, in the possession of Tom Gronstal, also a member of the Iowa Student Loan board of directors. Iowa Student Loan also sought an injunction to prevent the release of those emails.
Iowa Assistant Attorney General Robert Porter said on August 24 that both parties had agreed out-of-court to the release of most of the documents without any redactions.
, who authored the book So I'm Talkin' to This Guy... (ISBN 1-888223-66-9), died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
on May 27, 2006.
s over the years: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/HELP/40517008 http://www.pulitzer.org/
Register writer Clark Kauffman was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for his exposure of glaring injustice in the handling of traffic tickets by public officials in Iowa.
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...
of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
History
The first newspaper in Des Moines, the Iowa Star, was founded in 1849. In 1855 the Iowa Citizen began publication; it was renamed the Iowa State Register in 1860. In 1902 the Register merged with the Des Moines Leader, a descendant of the Star, to become the Des Moines Register and Leader. In 1903, Des Moines banker Gardner Cowles, Sr. purchased the Register and Leader; the name became The Des Moines Register in 1915. (Cowles also acquired the Des Moines TribuneDes Moines Tribune
The Des Moines Tribune was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Des Moines, Iowa. It was founded in 1906 and purchased in 1908 by the Cowles family, which owned the Des Moines Register. The newspapers shared production and business operations, but maintained separate editorial staffs which...
in 1908. The Tribune, which merged with the rival Des Moines News in 1924 and the Des Moines Capital in 1927, served as the evening paper for the Des Moines area until it ended publication on September 25, 1982.)
Under the ownership of Cowles Media Company
Cowles Media Company
Cowles Media Company was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing and Cowles Enthusiast Media units. The McClatchy Company purchased Cowles Media in 1998...
, the Register became Iowa's largest and most influential newspaper, eventually adopting the slogan "The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon." Newspapers were distributed to all four corners of the state by train and later by truck as Iowa's highway system was improving.
Register and Tribune Syndicate
It operated the Register and Tribune Syndicate, distributing columns and comic strips, notably with Will EisnerWill Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
's The Spirit fronting a 16-page Sunday supplement known colloquially as "The Spirit Section". This was a tabloid-sized newsprint comic book sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies.
The Register employed reporters in cities and towns throughout Iowa, and it covered national and international news stories from an Iowa perspective, even setting up its own news bureau in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1933. During the 1960s, circulation of the Register peaked at nearly 250,000 for the daily edition and 500,000 for the Sunday edition–more than the population of Des Moines at the time. In 1935, the Register & Tribune Company founded radio station KRNT-AM, named after the newspapers' nickname, "the R 'n T." In 1955, the company, renamed Cowles Communications some years earlier, founded Des Moines' third television station, KRNT-TV, which was renamed KCCI
KCCI
KCCI is a television station that broadcasts on channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the CBS television network and serves most of central Iowa. Owned by Hearst Television, KCCI has studios in downtown Des Moines. The station's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa, about midway...
after the radio station was sold in 1974. Cowles eventually acquired other newspapers, radio stations and television stations, but almost all of them were sold to other companies by 1985.
In 1906, the newspaper's first front-page editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
, illustrated by Jay Norwood Darling
Jay Norwood Darling
Jay Norwood Darling , better known as Ding Darling, was a Pulitzer-Prize winning American cartoonist....
, was published; the tradition of front-page editorial cartoons continued until December 4, 2008 when 25-year veteran cartoonist Brian Duffy was let go in a round of staff cuts. In 1943, the Register became the first newspaper to sponsor a statewide opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
when it introduced the Iowa Poll, modeled after Iowan George Gallup's national Gallup poll. Sports coverage was increased under sports editor Garner "Sec" Taylor – for whom Sec Taylor Field at Principal Park
Principal Park
Principal Park, formerly Sec Taylor Stadium, is a minor league baseball stadium located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is the home field of the Pacific Coast League's Iowa Cubs....
is named – in the 1920s. For many years the Register printed its sports sections on peach
Peach (color)
Peach is a color that is named for the pale color of the peach fruit. Like the color apricot, the color called peach is paler than most actual peach fruits and seems to have been formulated primarily to create a pastel palette of colors for interior design...
-colored paper, but that tradition ended for the daily paper in 1981 and for the Sunday Register's "Big Peach" in 1999. Another Register tradition – the sponsorship of RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI is an acronym for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It is a non-competitive bicycle ride across Iowa that draws recreational riders from across the United States and overseas. They ride from a community on Iowa's western border to a community on Iowa's eastern border,...
– began in 1973 when writer John Karras challenged columnist Donald Kaul to do a border-to-border bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
ride across Iowa. The liberal-leaning editorial page has recently brought Donald Kaul back for Sunday opinion columns. Other local columns have faded and given way to Gannett-distributed material.
In 1985, faced with declining circulation and revenues, the Cowles family sold off its various properties to different owners, with the Register going to Gannett. At the time of sale, only The New York Times had won more Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting. In 1990, the Register began to reduce its coverage of news outside of the Des Moines area by closing most of its Iowa news bureaus and ending carrier distribution to outlying counties, although an "Iowa Edition" of the Register is still distributed throughout most of the state. Many of the Register's news stories and editorials focus on Des Moines and its suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.
The Register opened a new printing and distribution facility on the south side of Des Moines in 2000. The newspaper's offices are located in downtown Des Moines. On June 1, 2005, the Register launched a weekly tabloid publication, Juice, which features entertainment and lifestyle stories targeted at the 25 to 34-year-old demographic. They also launched dmJuice.com in conjunction with the free weekly publication.
Editorial philosophy
In the three decades before the Cowles family acquired the Register in 1903, the Register was a "voice of pragmatic conservatism." However, Garner Cowles Sr., who served as a Republican in the Iowa General AssemblyIowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively...
and was a delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention
1916 Republican National Convention
The 1916 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago Coliseum, from June 7 to June 10, 1916. It nominated Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes of New York for president and former Vice President Charles Fairbanks of Indiana for a return to the vice presidency....
, was an advocate of progressive Republicanism.The new owners presented a variety of viewpoints, including Darling cartoons that frequently made fun of progressive politicians.
During the Cowles' family's ownership, the Register's editorial page philosophy was generally more liberal in its outlook than editorial pages of other Iowa newspapers, but there were notable exceptions. Garner Cowles Sr. served in the administration of President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
. The publishers strongly supported Republican Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
's 1940 presidential campaign against Democrat Franklin D. 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...
. The newspaper also supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower's campaigns for the Republican nomination and general election in 1952, and again in 1956.. Although the Register endorsed presidential candidates Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
in 1964, Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
in 1968, and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976, it endorsed Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
in 1960 and 1972.
The paper was a severe critic of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's warrantless wiretapping strategy, claiming that in doing so, "President Bush has declared war on the American people."
In December 2007, two weeks before the 2008 Iowa caucuses, the Register endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
(in the Democratic caucuses) and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
(in the Republican caucuses). In October 2008, the Register endorsed Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for president in the general election.
CIETC lawsuit
The Register has been critically covering a scandal in which the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC) allegedly misspent $1.2 million dollars of state money, and a subsidiary scandal with regards to CIETC's failing to meet the requirements of Iowa's open meetingFreedom of information in the United States
Freedom of information in the United States refers to the independent bodies of Freedom of information legislation at the federal level and in the fifty states.-Federal level:...
laws. The Register filed suit against CIETC in 2006, claiming it violated open meeting laws when it closed certain meetings to the public. On May 30, 2007, the lawsuit was amended to included twenty-three current and former board members of CIETC as defendants in the suit, including thirteen elected officials.
Iowa Student Loan lawsuit
On August 24, 2007 Iowa Student Loan settled a lawsuit filed by the Des Moines Register, agreeing to provide the paper with nearly all the public documents it had requested beginning in April 2007. Under Iowa's open records law, the Register sought copies of emails in the possession of state employee Greg Nichols, an employee of the Iowa Board of Regents and a member of the board of directors of Iowa Student Loan.Iowa Student Loan subsequently sought an injunction that would have blocked the Iowa Board of Regents from releasing the emails in question to the newspaper.
The Des Moines Register also sought emails from the Iowa Division of Banking, a state agency, in the possession of Tom Gronstal, also a member of the Iowa Student Loan board of directors. Iowa Student Loan also sought an injunction to prevent the release of those emails.
Iowa Assistant Attorney General Robert Porter said on August 24 that both parties had agreed out-of-court to the release of most of the documents without any redactions.
Columnists
Current Register columnists include Jane Norman, Rekha Basu, John Carlson, and Marc Hansen. Former columnist Rob BorsellinoRob Borsellino
Rob Borsellino was a newspaper columnist who worked for the Des Moines RegisterUnited States, before his death in May 2006. His columns for the Des Moines Register, which appeared three times weekly, became popular due to Borsellino's colloquial writing style and ability to tell a story straight...
, who authored the book So I'm Talkin' to This Guy... (ISBN 1-888223-66-9), died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
on May 27, 2006.
Awards
The Register has won 16 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer 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...
s over the years: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/HELP/40517008 http://www.pulitzer.org/
- 6 for National ReportingPulitzer Prize for National ReportingThe Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting has been awarded since 1948 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award....
: 1954, 1958, 1968, 1976, 1979, and 1985 - 3 for Editorial WritingPulitzer Prize for Editorial WritingThe Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction...
: 1938, 1943, and 1956 - 3 for Editorial CartooningPulitzer Prize for Editorial CartooningThe Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning has been awarded since 1922 for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect...
: 1924, 1943, and 1963 - 1 for PhotographyPulitzer Prize for PhotographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Photography was one of the Pulitzer Prizes. It was awarded from 1942 until 1967. In 1968, it was split into two separate prizes: the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography and the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography .* 1942: Milton Brooks of Detroit News, for his photo...
: 1952 - 1 for Feature PhotographyPulitzer Prize for Feature PhotographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography has been awarded since 1968 for a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album....
: 1987 - 1 for Breaking News PhotographyPulitzer Prize for Breaking News PhotographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, has been awarded since 2000. Before 1968, there was only one photography category, the Pulitzer Prize for Photography, which was divided into the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and feature categories...
: 2010 - 1 for Public ServicePulitzer Prize for Public ServiceThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
: 1991
Register writer Clark Kauffman was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for his exposure of glaring injustice in the handling of traffic tickets by public officials in Iowa.