Daily Mail, morning dailynewspaper published inLondon, long noted for its foreign reporting, it was one of the firstBritish papers to popularize its coverage to appeal to a mass readership. It is theflagship publication of the Daily Mail and General Trust PLC, a London media company incorporated in 1922 with holdings in radio, television, and weekly and daily newspapers.

TheDaily Mail was founded in 1896 by Alfred Harmsworth, later 1st Viscount Northcliffe (seeNorthcliffe, Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount). Its roots can be traced to theHull Packet (founded in 1787), which was merged with theHull Evening News in 1884 and 12 years later moved to London and became theDaily Mail. In 1902, its circulation exceeded one million, rivaling theNew York World and theNew York Journal for the top circulating newspapers. Although theMail lost circulation in the 1970s, it became one ofBritain’s best-selling newspapers at the close of the 20th century.

Historically the paper has been known for its independent editorialstance and coverage of foreign news, such as theDreyfus affair in France (1894–1906) and theSouth African War (1899–1902). The paper also syndicates news, features, and pictures to newspapers in other countries.

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history of publishing: Great Britain