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 Foster's cover on October 16, 2008 | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Gannett |
| Publisher | Patrice D. Foster |
| Editor | Howard Altschiller |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Circulation | 20,053 Daily 24,428 Weekend (as of 2006)[1] |
| ISSN | 0892-6026 |
| Website | fosters.com |
Foster's Daily Democrat is a six-day (Monday–Saturday) morningbroadsheetnewspaper published inDover, New Hampshire, United States, covering southeastNew Hampshire and southwestMaine.
In addition to its Dover headquarters,Foster's maintains news bureaus inRochester andPortsmouth, New Hampshire.
Founded byJoshua L. Foster on June 18, 1873, the paper was named after theU.S. Democratic Party, which then was the conservative and less-popular party inNew England.[2] Foster was already known, by then, as a political firebrand and an explicit opponent of President Lincoln; one of his previous publishing ventures had been theStates and Union, a pro-slavery paper in nearbyPortsmouth, New Hampshire, during theAmerican Civil War.[3]
Foster's Daily Democrat for most of its history was a right-leaning paper but in recent years it has gone far to the left, endorsing Democratic candidates and supporting left-leaning political issues. As recent as 2000, however,Foster's endorsedGeorge W. Bush in theNew Hampshire primary, although the paper backed no one in thegeneral election. It also endorsed District 1 CongressmanJeb Bradley on a number of occasions[4] and it is considered rare for a Democratic candidate to get an endorsement fromFoster's.[5] Foster's is in favor of thedeath penalty.
In the 2004 New Hampshire Democratic primary, the paper endorsedJoe Lieberman, generally considered a more conservative Democrat. Yet its editorial stated that readers should be "absolutely clear on one thing.Foster's Daily Democrat remains fully supportive of President Bush."[6]
In 1988, editor Rodney G. Doherty described himself as a "black sheep" of journalism and said he edits "a blue-collar paper." He said he prefers a hard-news, top-down style of newsroom management, with young reporters filing several quick stories based on assignments from editors, rather than longer, more analytical pieces. He said likes to see reporters write about "whatis news, rather than what they think is the news."[7]
Colin Manning, who wroteFoster's statehouse notebook, later went on to be New Hampshire governorJohn Lynch's communications director.[8]
As of 2009, Doherty is the executive editor of the paper. The managing editor is Mary Pat Rowland. The assistant managing editor is Mike Gillis. The editorial page editor is Jon Breen.
Foster's Daily Democrat was an afternoon publication for 135 years until November 26, 2007, when it switched to morning publication. At the time, Doherty said morning publication would be more convenient for readers, and would allow the paper to update its Website earlier in the day.[9]
In 2014, theGeo. J. Foster Company sold its assets, includingFoster's, toLocal Media Group.[10] Local Media Group was later merged intoGateHouse Media.
In 2016, the paper endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.[11]
Foster's news focus is mainly on local public meetings and police reporting with community features and local sports also included. Regular features include advice columns, stock tables, classified advertising, comic strips, obituaries, television listings and local lottery numbers. The newspaper also carries entertainment, world and national news from theAssociated Press, as well as both AP and locally generated sports stories.
Sections and pullouts for the daily paper include main news and an award-winning[citation needed] sports section every day, plus:
Foster's competed head-to-head withThe Portsmouth Herald, a daily newspaper based inPortsmouth, New Hampshire. In response to theHerald taking a chip out of Foster's Portsmouth market,Foster's printed aPortsmouth Region page on page A3 or A5. The parent company of theHerald acquiredFoster's.Foster's also competes with the statewide dailyNew Hampshire Union Leader and its sister Sunday paper,New Hampshire Sunday News.
In the late 1990s, theGeo. J. Foster Company launchedFoster's Sunday Citizen to compete withHerald Sunday and theNew Hampshire Sunday News. The Sunday paper was a joint venture byFoster's and its sister paper inLaconia, New Hampshire,The Citizen, also owned by Geo. J. Foster Company.[12] The Foster company soldThe Citizen toEagle Publishing in June 2010.
