Detroit Free Press

The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detroit Media Partnership under a joint operating agreement with The Detroit News, its historical rival. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press.''

The ''Free Press'' has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for Years". In 2018, the ''Detroit Free Press'' received two Salute to Excellence awards from the National Association of Black Journalists.

History

1831–1989: Competitive newspaper

The newspaper was launched by John R. Williams and his uncle, Joseph Campau, and was first published as the ''Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer'' on May 5, 1831. It was renamed to ''Detroit Daily Free Press'' in 1835, becoming the region's first daily newspaper. Williams printed the first issues on a Washington press he purchased from the discontinued ''Oakland Chronicle'' of Pontiac. It was hauled from Pontiac in a wagon over rough roads to a building at Bates and Woodbridge streets in Detroit. The hand-operated press required two men and could produce 250 pages per hour. The first issues were in size, with five columns of type. Sheldon McKnight became the first publisher, with his uncle John Pitts Sheldon as the editor.

In the 1850s, the paper was developed into a leading Democratic Party-aligned publication under the ownership of Wilbur F. Storey. Storey left for the '' Chicago Times'' in 1861, taking much of the staff with him. In the 1870s ownership passed to William E. Quinby, who continued its Democratic leanings and established a London, England edition.

In 1940, the Knight Newspapers (later Knight Ridder) purchased the ''Free Press''. During the next 20 years, the ''Free Press'' competed in the southeastern Michigan market with '' The Detroit News'' and the '' Detroit Times'', until the ''Times'' was purchased and closed by the ''Detroit News'' on November 7, 1960. The ''Free Press'' was delivered and sold as a night paper, with home deliveries made after 7:00pm until around 1966. A morning "Blue Streak Edition" was available at news stands beginning around 1965, meaning the ''Free Press'' actually printed two editions per day. During that period ''The Detroit News'' was sold and delivered as an afternoon newspaper.

1989–2014: Joint operating agreement

In 1989, the paper entered into a one hundred-year joint operating agreement with its rival, combining business operations while maintaining separate editorial staffs. The combined company is called the Detroit Media Partnership. The two papers also began to publish joint Saturday and Sunday editions, though the editorial content of each remained separate. At the time, the ''Detroit Free Press'' was the tenth-highest circulation paper in the United States, and the combined ''Detroit News and Free Press'' was the country's fourth-largest Sunday paper.

On July 13, 1995, Newspaper Guild-represented employees of the ''Free Press'' and ''News'' and the pressmen, printers and Teamsters working for the "Detroit Newspapers" distribution arm went on strike. By October, about 40% of the editorial staffers had crossed the picket line, and many trickled back over the next months while others stayed out for the two and a half years of the strike. The strike was resolved in court three years later, and the unions remain active at the paper, representing a majority of the employees under their jurisdiction.

In 1998, the ''Free Press'' vacated its former headquarters in downtown Detroit and moved to offices into ''The Detroit News'' building and began to operate from its new offices in that building on June 26 of that year.

On August 3, 2005, Knight Ridder sold the ''Free Press'' to the Gannett Company, which had previously owned and operated ''The Detroit News''. Gannett, in turn, sold ''The News'' to MediaNews Group; Gannett continues to be the managing partner in the papers' joint operating agreement.

The ''Free Press'' resumed publication of its own Sunday edition, May 7, 2006, without any content from ''The News'', other than that ''The News'' would print its editorial page in the Sunday ''Free Press''.

On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership (DMP) announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only. On other weekdays the paper sold at newsstands would be smaller, about 32 pages, and redesigned. This arrangement went into effect March 30, 2009.

The ''Free Press'' entered a news partnership with CBS owned-and-operated station WWJ-TV channel 62 in March 2009 to produce a morning news show called ''First Forecast Mornings''. Prior to the partnership, WWJ aired absolutely no local newscast at all.

In February 2014, the DMP announced its offices along with those of the ''Free Press'' and ''The Detroit News'' would occupy six floors in both the old and new sections of the former Federal Reserve building at 160 West Fort Street. The partnership expected to place signs on the exterior similar to those on the former offices. The move took place beginning in October 2014.

2015–Present: Ownership changes

In June 2015, Gannett split itself into two companies. The company's television broadcasters and digital publishers became part of a new company known as Tegna Inc. while its traditional print publishers became part of a new Gannett.

In November 2019, the newspaper announced it would cut four staff positions ahead of the GateHouse Media conglomerate completing its purchase of Gannett. The Gannett board finalized the purchase agreement on November 19, 2019.

In 2025, Gannett announced it will close the paper's printing facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan with 115 jobs lost. The production of 32 newspaper will be transferred to other printing plants. About six months later Gannett announced it will not renew the joint operating agreement with the ''Detroit News.'' The agreement is set to expire at the end of the year.

Other ''Free Press'' publications

* '' Screen & Radio Weekly'' (1934–1940)
* ''The Detroit Almanac: 300 Years of Life in the Motor City'' (2001). Peter Gavrilovich and Bill McGraw, editors.

Notable people

* Mitch Albom
* Edward A. Batchelor
* Jack Berry
* Eva Best
* Donna Britt
* Frank Bruni
* Mike Downey
* Joe Falls
* John Gallagher
* David Gilkey
* Robin Givhan
* Susan Goldberg
* Ellen Goodman
* Gary Graff
* Sam Greene
* Edgar Guest
* Dick Guindon
* Ken Hamblin
* Stephen Henderson
* Jemele Hill
* Lee Hills
* Royce Howes
* Clark Hoyt
* Joe S. Jackson
* David Cay Johnston
* Dorothy Misener Jurney
* Michelle Kaufman
* David Lawrence Jr.
* John C. Lodge
* Kurt Luedtke
* Myra MacPherson
* Dori J. Maynard
* Eric Millikin
* Elvis Mitchell
* Al Neuharth
* Jack Ohman
* Rob Parker
* William E. Quinby
* Rochelle Riley
* James Risen
* Gene Roberts
* Neal Rubin
* Lyall Smith
* Jennie O. Starkey
* Wilbur F. Storey
* Joe Stroud
* Neely Tucker
* David Turnley
* Rob Wagner
* Lewis Walter
* Taro Yamasaki

See also

* Media in Detroit

References

External links

Official website



Detroit Newspaper Partnership

{{Authority control

Newspapers published in Detroit
Gannett publications
Pulitzer Prize–winning newspapers
Newspapers established in 1831
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners