A daily newspaper is a periodical publication containing news articles and opinion pieces. It is usually distributed in paper form, although it may also be available on the Internet. Topics covered include international and national politics and government, business and commerce, crime and justice, weather and natural disasters, science and technology, health and medicine, sports, society and culture, food and cooking, clothing and fashion, and other general interest topics. Historically, newspapers have been printed on coated paper, but many now use uncoated or semi-coated stock.
The content of a newspaper is selected and edited by the editor-in-chief or equivalent, who is usually in charge of one or more subject area divisions within the newspaper, such as world news or local news. This person may be given a title such as editor-in-chief or executive editor, and he or she is responsible for selecting, editing, and assigning stories to specific writers. In large newspapers, the most senior editor is in overall charge of all subjects covered by the newspaper, and less senior editors often have a particular subject expertise such as world news or local news.
Most traditional newspapers are published weekly or daily, and they are divided into sections based on subject matter such as world news, local news, crime and justice, business and commerce, sports, and entertainment. Other sections might contain opinions written by the editorial staff (generally known as op-eds) and columns that express personal views and opinions by columnists.
In addition, newspapers usually feature a classified advertising section. This is a key source of revenue for newspapers.
Newspapers are typically printed on white or cream-coloured paper. However, some publications use coloured newsprint to distinguish themselves from other newspapers and increase their visibility on the newsstands, for example Sheffield’s weekly sports newspaper derives its name from its distinctive salmon pink colour, and L’Equipe, the French language sports newspaper of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, is printed on yellow paper.
The newspaper’s main audience is the urban middle class. However, in a democracy such as the United States, newspapers are widely read by all segments of the population. They are a primary source of information about political events and personalities, business and economic news, crime, traffic accidents, and sporting events, among other topics. Newspapers are generally accessed by people through subscriptions, at newsstands or shops, or, since the 1990s, online. The Internet has expanded the readership of newspapers, but many people without access to the Internet do not read them. Additionally, those with limited literacy skills may not be able to take advantage of the information provided by newspapers.
In its 20th-century heyday, The New York Daily News was a brawny metro tabloid that specialized in investigative journalism and won Pulitzer Prizes for commentary and feature writing. Its newsroom was housed in a building on East 42nd Street that was designed by the architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, and it served as the model for the Daily Planet headquarters in the first two Superman movies. In its waning years, it has run into financial trouble and was bought by Chicago-based Tribune Publishing in 2017 for $1 (and the company’s other newspapers are now closing their newsrooms).