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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Gannett |
| General manager | Sean Lupton[1] |
| News editor | Sandee Suitt[1] |
| Founded | 1931 (1931) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 201 E. Main St. Suite 400 Murfreesboro, TN 37130 United States |
| Circulation | 15,800 daily 18,900 Sunday[2] |
| Sister newspapers | Rutherford A.M. Smyrna A.M. Sidelines Murfreesboro Magazine |
| ISSN | 0745-2683 |
| OCLC number | 9008844 |
| Website | dnj |
The Daily News Journal, commonly abbreviated toDNJ, is a newspaper servingMurfreesboro, Tennessee,Rutherford County, and surrounding communities. It is Rutherford County's sole daily newspaper. It publishes print and digital content.[3] Published in Murfreesboro, it serves as the primary local newspaper, with competition fromThe Murfreesboro Post and other publications. The newspaper is not in competition withThe Tennessean of Nashville, as both are owned byGannett. Gannett acquiredDNJ fromMorris Multimedia in 2004.[4]
The roots theDNJ date back to the founding ofMurfreesboro News[3] in 1850.[5] This paper would eventually merge with several competitors, and in 1931, the dailyHome Journal andMurfreesboro News-Banner joined to formThe Daily News Journal.[5]DNJ currently publishes daily local papers, and also prints two weekly editions titledSmyrna A.M. andRutherford A.M.[6]
From 1951,DNJ occupied the Brady-Tompkins-January-McFadden house at 224 N. Walnut St., which was originally built prior to theAmerican Civil War. In a deal begun in mid-2014, the Rutherford County government purchased the Walnut Street property in order to build a new judicial building and parking garage. On June 8, 2015,DNJ opened its new offices in theSunTrust Building on East Main Street.[7]
The DNJ publishes news in a variety of forms, such as print, online, app, and in social media.[3] The paper is also managed by award-winning staff.[8]
The Daily News Journal is the result of several newspaper merges across time, with the earliest ancestor beingThe Murfreesboro News in 1850.[5] Two different newspapers went bankrupt and merged their assets together to create the Daily News Journal in 1931. One of these papers was calledThe Home Journal and was founded by Chip Henderson in 1890. The paper was purchased by Louis J. Burgdorf in 1898, and then was owned by Andrew L. Todd and William Trevathan in 1920. The other paper was calledThe News Banner and was created by Chip Henderson's first cousin, C.C. Henderson, who combinedThe Independent Banner andThe Murfreesboro News in 1898. Jesse C. Beesley Jr. purchasedThe News Banner in 1926, but, in 1927, Beesley went bankrupt on account of thedepression.[5]
The Daily News Journal was merged and founded in 1931, though the first edition did not specify publisher information. The paper was then sold by Todd to E. W. "Ned" Carmack, who mismanaged the paper, failing to compete with competitorThe Rutherford Courier. In 1939, Todd bought the paper again, only to be sold to Jack McFarland.[5] Gannett Co., Inc. received theDNJ andThe Review Appeal of Franklin after giving Morris Multimedia, Inc.The Times and other papers in 2004.[4]
The paper used to claim to have been running "since 1849;" however, its ancestral paperThe Murfreesboro News was founded in 1850 by A. Watkins and was shut down due to the Civil War. In 1866, Rev. Henderson re-startedThe Murfreesboro News, which was later bought by C.C. Henderson in 1898.[3][5]
The newspaper ceased its Monday print edition effective April 25, 2022. Instead, subscribers would be provided with a digital replica of the paper.[9]
The Daily News Journal's original location was the Brady-Tompkins-January-McFadden house at 218 W. Main St. in Murfreesboro, when Todd owned the paper in 1921.[5] After 29 years, the paper was moved to 224 N Walnut St in Murfreesboro,[5] but was later moved into the offices in theSunTrust Building on East Main Street in 2015,[7] after Rutherford country government purchased the property for judicial buildings and parking.[7] TheDNJ's printing presses in Murfreesboro were shut down and moved toThe Tennessean's presses in Nashville during 2006.[10]
Because Gannett owns bothThe DNJ andThe Tennessean, they are not in competition.[4] However,The DNJ is in competition with smaller local newspapers, likeThe Murfreesboro Post.[4] The paper also has two sister newspapers published weekly, calledSmyrna A.M. andRutherford A.M.[6]
The Daily News Journal has both print and online publications.[3] The paper has a website, where it publishes online articles on news, sports, lifestyles, opinion, and obituaries.[11] Gannett also createdThe Daily News Journal Print Edition app for theDNJ, which displays news stories from the print version,[12] for iPhone, Android, and iPad.[13] The paper also has an email newsletters on subjects "Coronavirus Watch," "Daily Briefing," "News Alerts," "On Your Plate," and "Tennessee Voices".[14]Newspapers.com and Gannett collaborated to connect TheDNJ with the Rutherford County Library System, which supports online access toThe Daily News Journal archives.[15] It also has a social media presence on various platforms. As of 2024, most interaction comes fromFacebook at over 38,000 followers, thenTwitter with over 16,000 followers, and lastlyInstagram with 1,500 followers.[16][17][18]
In the 2020 Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors' contest,The Daily News Journal received the following first place awards.
