 New York World cover announcing conquest of Dewey of the Spanish Navy in theBattle of Manila Bay in May 1898 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owners |
|
| Founded | 1860; 165 years ago (1860) |
| Ceased publication | February 27, 1931; 94 years ago (1931-02-27) |
| Political alignment | IndependentDemocratic/Progressive |
| Headquarters | New York World Building |
| Circulation | 313,000 (1931)[1] |
| OCLC number | 32646018 |
TheNew York World was anewspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in thehistory of American newspapers as a leading national voice of theDemocratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisherJoseph Pulitzer, it was a pioneer inyellow journalism, capturing readers' attention with sensation, sports, sex and scandal and pushing its daily circulation to the one-million mark. It was sold in 1931 and merged into theNew York World-Telegram.
TheWorld was founded in 1860 byAlexander Cummings, who had previously founded thePhiladelphia Evening Bulletin, but it did not prosper in his two years as publisher. From 1862 to 1876, it was edited byManton Marble, who was also its proprietor. During the1864 United States presidential election, theWorld was shut down for three days after it publishedforged documents purportedly fromAbraham Lincoln.[2][3] Marble, disgusted by the defeat ofSamuel Tilden in the1876 presidential election, sold the paper after the election to a group headed byThomas A. Scott, the president of thePennsylvania Railroad, who used the paper "as a propaganda vehicle for his stock enterprises."[4] But Scott was unable to meet the newspaper's growing losses, and in 1879 he sold it to financierJay Gould as part of a deal that also included theTexas & Pacific Railroad.[4] Gould, like Scott, used the paper for his own purposes, employing it to help him take overWestern Union. But Gould, like Scott, could not turn the financial state of the newspaper around, and by the 1880s, it was losing $40,000 a year.[4]
Joseph Pulitzer bought theWorld in 1883 and began an aggressive era of circulation building. ReporterNellie Bly became one of America's firstinvestigative journalists, often working undercover. As apublicity stunt for the paper, inspired by theJules Verne novelAround the World in Eighty Days, she traveled around the world in 72 days in 1889–1890. In 1890, Pulitzer built theNew York World Building, the tallest office building in the world at the time.
In 1889,Julius Chambers was appointed by Pulitzer as managing editor of theNew York World; he served until 1891.[5] In 1890, Pulitzer, Chambers, et al. were indicted for posthumous criminal libel againstAlexander T. Stewart for accusing him of "a dark and secret crime", as the man who "invited guests to meet his mistresses at his table", and as "a pirate of the dry goods ocean." The charges were dismissed by the court. This sort of criminal action was common at the time and both Pulitzer and Chambers were indicted in a number of cases, in some of which they were acquitted, in others convicted.
In 1896, theWorld began using a four-color printing press; it was the first newspaper to launch a colorsupplement, which featuredThe Yellow Kid cartoonHogan's Alley. It joined a circulation battle withWilliam Randolph Hearst'sNew York Journal. In 1899 Pulitzer and Hearst were the cause of thenewsboys' strike of 1899, which led to Pulitzer's circulation dropping by 70%.
TheWorld was attacked for being "sensational", and its circulation battles with Hearst'sJournal gave rise to the termyellow journalism. The charges ofsensationalism were most frequently leveled at the paper by more established publishers, who resented Pulitzer's courting of theimmigrant classes.[citation needed] And while theWorld presented its fair share[clarification needed] of crime stories, it also published damning exposés oftenement abuses. After a heat wave in 1883 killed a disproportionate number of poor children, theWorld published stories about it, featuring such headlines as "Lines of Little Hearses". Its coverage spurred action in the city for reform. Hearst reproduced Pulitzer's approach in theSan Francisco Examiner and later in theJournal.
Charles Chapin was hired in 1898 as city editor of theEvening World. He was most known for embracing the sensational and showing little empathy in the face of tragedy, only taking a more solemn tone when reporting on the assassination ofWilliam McKinley in 1901. He controlled the newsroom with an iron fist, and was commonly despised by the journalists who worked for him. Chapin fired 108 newspaper men during his tenure.[6] However,Stanley Walker still referred to him as "the greatest city editor that ever lived."[7] His time at theWorld ended when, after falling into financial ruin, he murdered his wife in 1918. He was sentenced toSing Sing Prison and died there in 1930.[citation needed]
Pulitzer hiredFrank Irving Cobb on a trial basis as the editor of theWorld in 1904. Cobb, a fiercely independent Kansan, resisted Pulitzer's attempts to "run the office" from his home. The elder man felt invested in the paper and continually meddled with Cobb's work. They both supportedWoodrow Wilson but disagreed in many other areas.[citation needed]
Joseph Pulitzer resigned by issuing a carefully worded resignation notice in 1907; Pulitzer's son Ralph took over administrative responsibility ofThe World. Pulitzer's resignation notice was printed in almost every New York paper — Cobb did not publish it in theWorld. Joseph Pulitzer raged at the insult, but Ralph gained respect for Cobb's editorials and independent spirit. Exchanges, commentaries, and messages between them increased. The good rapport between the two was based largely on Cobb's flexibility. In May 1908, Cobb and Pulitzer met to outline plans for a consistent editorial policy.[citation needed]
Pulitzer's demands for editorials on contemporary news led to overwork by Cobb. The publisher sent his managing editor on a six-week tour of Europe to restore his spirit. Shortly after Cobb's return, Pulitzer died. Cobb then finally published Pulitzer's resignation from 1907. Cobb maintained the editorial policies he had had with Pulitzer until he died of cancer in 1923.[8]
When Pulitzer died in 1911, he passed control of theWorld to his sons Ralph, Joseph and Herbert. TheWorld continued to grow under its executive editorHerbert Bayard Swope, who hired writers such asFrank Sullivan andDeems Taylor. Among theWorld's noted journalists were columnistsFranklin Pierce Adams (F.P.A.), who wrote "The Conning Tower";Heywood Broun, who penned "It Seems to Me" on the editorial page; and futurehardboiled fiction writerJames M. Cain.C. M. Payne created several comic strips for the newspaper.
The paper published the firstcrossword puzzle on December 21, 1913. The feature was billed as a “Word-Cross Puzzle.”[9]
The annualreference book calledThe World Almanac was founded by the newspaper, and the nameWorld Almanac is directly descended from the newspaper.
The paper ran a twenty-one article series that was anexposé on the inner workings of theKu Klux Klan, starting September 6, 1921.[10][11]
In 1931, Pulitzer's heirs went to court to sell theWorld. A surrogate court judge decided in their favor;Scripps-Howard chain ownerRoy W. Howard purchased the paper to eliminate its competition. He closed theWorld and laid off the staff of 3,000 after the final issue was printed on February 27, 1931, then merely replaced the word "Evening" on his afternoon paper, theEvening Telegram, renaming it theNew York World-Telegram.
TheNew York World was one of the first newspapers to publishcomic strips, starting around 1890, and contributed greatly to the development of the American comic strip. Notable strips that originated with theWorld includedRichard F. Outcault'sHogan's Alley (featuringThe Yellow Kid),The Captain and the Kids,Everyday Movies,Fritzi Ritz,Joe Jinks, andLittle Mary Mixup. Under the namesWorld Feature Service andNew York World Press Publishing the company alsosyndicated comic strips to other newspapers around the country beginning around 1905. With Scripps' acquisition of theWorld newspaper and its syndication assets in February 1931, theWorld's most popular strips were brought over to Scripps'United Feature Syndicate.[12]
Janet E. Steele argues that Joseph Pulitzer put a stamp on his age when he brought his brand of journalism fromSt. Louis to New York in 1883. In hisNew York World, Pulitzer emphasized illustrations, advertising, and a culture of consumption for working men. He believed they saved money to enjoy life with their families when they could, atConey Island, for example.[13]
By contrast, the long-established editorCharles A. Dana, ofThe Sun, held to a traditional view of the working man as one engaged in a struggle to better his working conditions and to improve himself. Dana thought that readers in the 20th century followed fewer faddish illustrations and wished newspapers did not need advertising. Dana resisted buying aLinotype. In time the more sensational approach to news, advertising, and content triumphed.[13]
On May 16, 2011, theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism announced that it was launching an online publication namedThe New York World, in honor of the original newspaper published by Joseph Pulitzer, who founded the graduate school. The university said the mission of the publication would be "to provide New York City citizens with accountability journalism about government operations that affect their lives." It was to be staffed mainly by those who have completed master's or doctoral degrees, and other affiliates of the school.[14][15] The online publication focuses on data journalism and collaborated with a number of local and national news outlets.[16] TheWorld lists contributors and an editor, but has not published new content since 2016.
Manton Marble died this morning of old age at the home of his son-in-law, Sir Martin Conway, Allington Castle, near Maidstone. Mr. Marble, who had been living in England quietly for twenty years, began to fail last Christmas.
thismiscegenation hoax still "damn near sank Lincoln that year"
