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The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury, its headquarters on Broad Street in Hartford, Connecticut is a short walk from the state capitol. It reports regional news with a chain of bureaus in smaller cities and a series of local editions. It also operates ''
CTNow ''CTNow'' is a free weekly newspaper in central and southwestern Connecticut, published by the ''Hartford Courant''. The previous iteration of CTNow was New Mass. Media, a privately owned weekly newspaper company until 1999, when its owners, inc ...
'', a free local weekly newspaper and website. The ''Courant'' began as a weekly called the ''Connecticut Courant'' on October 29, 1764, becoming daily in 1837. In 1979, it was bought by the Times Mirror Company. In 2000, Times Mirror was acquired by the Tribune Company, which later combined the paper's management and facilities with those of a Tribune-owned Hartford
television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth ...
. The ''Courant'' and other Tribune print properties were spun off to a new corporate parent, Tribune Publishing, separate from the station, in 2014. '' Tribune Publishing'' agreed in May 2021 to be acquired by Alden Global Capital, which operates its media properties through Digital First Media. The transaction was finalized on May 25, 2021.


History and age

The ''Connecticut Courant'' began as a weekly on October 29, 1764, started by Thomas Green. The ''Hartford Courant'' became daily in 1837, although it still published a weekly edition until 1896. The daily ''Hartford Courant'' traces its existence back to the weekly, thereby giving it the title "America's oldest continuously published newspaper", and leading it to adopt "Older than the nation" as its slogan. The ''Hartford Courant'' is considered to be the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper, and is cited as such in scholarly articles, journalism, and historical texts. '' The New Hampshire Gazette'', which started publication in 1756, trademarked the title of oldest paper in the nation after being revived as a small biweekly paper in 1989. Prior to 1989, the paper had all but disappeared into other publications for most of the 20th century, which puts its self-proclaimed status as oldest newspaper in doubt. The '' New York Post'' claims to be the oldest continuously published daily newspaper; although the ''Post'' started daily publishing 35 years before ''The Connecticut Courant'' did, the ''Courant'' existed as a weekly paper for nearly 40 years before the ''New York Post'' was founded, making the ''Courant'' the older paper. In fact, '' The Providence Journal'' has become the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the United States: The ''Journal'' began daily publishing 28 years after the ''New York Post'', but strikes at the ''Post'' in 1958 and 1978 cast doubt on its continuity. Regardless, ''The Connecticut Courant'' existed as a weekly paper for nearly 70 years before the Providence Journal was founded. In 1867, Joseph Roswell Hawley, a leading Republican politician and former governor of Connecticut, bought the newspaper, which he combined with the ''Press.'' Under his editorship, the ''Courant'' became the most influential newspaper in Connecticut and one of the leading Republican papers in the country. Emile Gauvreau became a reporter in 1916, and the managing editor in 1919. His energetic and often sensational news policies affronted Charles Clark, the owner and editor. Clark fired Gauvreau when he refused to stop a series of stories about the exploitation of fake medical diplomas. Gauvreau went on to be a major figure in the New York City tabloid wars of the Roaring Twenties as the first managing editor of the
New York Evening Graphic The ''New York Evening Graphic'' (not to be confused with the earlier ''Daily Graphic)'' was a tabloid newspaper published from 1924 to 1932 by Bernarr Macfadden. Exploitative and mendacious in its short life, the ''Graphic'' exemplified tabloid ...
and later managing editor of the New York Mirror.
Herbert Brucker Herbert Brucker (1898–1977) was a journalist, teacher, and national advocate for the freedom of the press. Brucker served as editor-in-chief of the ''Hartford Courant'', a newspaper published in Hartford, Connecticut, for 19 years (1947–1966). ...
was the most prominent editor of the ''Courant'' in the 20th century.


Recent history

The ''Courant'' was purchased in 1979 by Times Mirror, the '' Los Angeles Times'' parent company for $105.6 million. The first years of out-of-town ownership are described by a former ''Courant'' reporter in a book titled ''Spiked: How Chain Management Corrupted America's Oldest Newspaper.'' One criticism was that the new owners were more interested in awards, and less interested in traditional ''Courant'' devotion to exhaustive coverage of local news. The ''Courant'' won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for inquiring into problems with the Hubble Space Telescope (a Connecticut company was involved in the construction), and it won a 1999 Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News category for coverage of a 1998 murder-suicide that took five lives at
Connecticut Lottery The Connecticut Lottery Corporation, also called the CT Lottery, is the official lottery in Connecticut. It was created in 1971 by then-Gov. Thomas Meskill, who signed Public Act No. 865. The first tickets were sold on February 15, 1972. The Con ...
headquarters. A series of articles about sexual abuse by the head of a worldwide Catholic order, published since February 1997, constituted the first denunciation of Marciel Maciel known to a wider audience. In 2000, Times Mirror and the ''Courant'' became part of the Tribune Company, one of the world's largest multimedia companies. By then the ''Courant'' had acquired the
Valley Advocate The ''Daily Hampshire Gazette'' is a six-day morning daily newspaper based in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States, and covering all of Hampshire County, southern towns of Franklin County, and Holyoke. The newspaper prints Monday through S ...
group of "alternative" weeklies started by two former ''Courant'' staff members in 1973. Tribune also owned two local television stations: Fox affiliate
WTIC-TV WTIC-TV (channel 61) is a television station in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, serving the Hartford–New Haven market as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Waterbury-licensed CW affiliate WCCT-TV (cha ...
and The CW affiliate WCCT-TV. In 2005, The ''Courant'' became the most recent American newspaper to win the Society for News Design's World's Best Designed Newspaper award. In 2006, the paper's investigation into mental health and suicides among Americans serving in the Iraq war was featured in the PBS documentary series '' Exposé: America's Investigative Reports'' in an episode entitled "Question 7." In late June 2006, the Tribune Co. announced that ''Courant'' publisher Jack W. Davis Jr. would by replaced by Stephen D. Carver, vice president and general manager of Atlanta, Ga., TV station WATL. In March 2009, Tribune replaced Carver with Richard Graziano, who was given a dual role as Courant publisher and general manager of Tribune's two Hartford television stations. In May of the same year, Tribune announced that Jeff Levine, a newspaper executive with a background in marketing, would become "director of content" and that the editor or "print platform manager" of the ''Courant'' would report to Levine as would the news director of WTIC-TV. Shortly after that, the ''Courant's'' two highest ranking editors were let go. After 2010, ''Courant'' has offered early retirement and buyout packages to reduce staff as it continues to experience declines in advertising revenue. There have also been layoffs and reduction in pages. Newsroom staff peaked in 1994 at close to 400 staff, down to 175 staff by 2008, and 135 staff in 2009. Tribune Company brought frequent changes in the Courant's top leadership. On November 18, 2013, Tribune appointed Nancy Meyer as publisher, succeeding Rich Graziano who left to become president and general manager of WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New York City. In 2014, the ''Courant'' purchased the '' ReminderNews'' chain of weekly newspapers. On October 10, 2014, Tribune Company announced the appointment of Rick Daniels as publisher of the Courant, succeeding Nancy Meyer, who was promoted to publisher and CEO of the Orlando Sentinel. Andrew Julien was named the combined publisher and editor in March 2016, replacing Tom Wiley, who departed after two months. In 2018, the Hartford Courant joined more than 300 newspapers in releasing editorials in response to President's Trump's anti-media rhetoric, a show of solidarity initiated by The Boston Globe. "The Hartford Courant joins newspapers from around the country today to reaffirm that the press is not the enemy of the American people.''"'' In October 2020, the ''Courant'' announced that it would be discontinuing printing the paper in Hartford and outsourcing future printing to the '' Springfield Republican'' in Massachusetts. In December 2020, Tribune Publishing announced that it would be closing the ''Courants Broad Street newsroom by the end of the year with no current plans to open another.


Name

The word "courant" derives from the French ''courante nouvellen'', indicating current news items, possibly borrowed by way of the Dutch ''krant''. Courant was occasionally a name for English-language newspapers, including the ''New-England Courant'' (Boston), founded by James Franklin in 1721.


News and editorial

* Executive editor: Helen Bennett * Managing editor: Kellie Love * Content editor: Kaitlin McCallum * Sports editor: William Dayton


Awards


Pulitzer Prize

Nancy Tracy of the ''Hartford Courant'' was a 1984 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Writing for her moving depiction of Meg Casey, a victim of premature aging. Robert S. Capers and Eric Lipton of the Hartford Courant won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism for their series on how a flawed mirror built at Connecticut's Perkin-Elmer Corporation immobilized the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hartford Courant Staff won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of a shooting rampage in which a state lottery employee killed four supervisors then himself. Reporters Mike McIntire and Jack Dolan of the Hartford Courant were 2001 Pulitzer Prize Finalists in Investigative Reporting for their work in revealing the mistakes of practicing doctors who have faced disciplinary action. Photojournalist Brad Clift was a 2003 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Photography for his photo series "Heroin Town", which depicted heroin use in Willimantic. Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of the Hartford Courant were 2007 Pulitzer Prize Finalists in Investigative Reporting for their in-depth reporting on suicide rates among American soldiers in Iraq which led to congressional and military action addressing the issues raised in the series. The Hartford Courant Staff was a 2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for its comprehensive and compassionate coverage of the 2012 shooting massacre at
Sandy Hook Elementary School Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...
. The paper was given exclusive access originally to the investigative files collected by the FBI on the shooters life, growing up.


Politics

The paper endorsed
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in both the 2000 Presidential election and the 2004 Presidential election. In the 2012 Presidential Election, the ''Courant'' endorsed
President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
for a second term over Republican Mitt Romney. The ''Courant'' weighed in on the contentious and antagonistic 2016 Presidential Election, endorsing Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican candidate Donald Trump. In August 2018 the ''Courant'' endorsed Ned Lamont in the Democratic primary as the only "credible" choice compared to rival
Joe Ganim Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American Democratic politician, former attorney, and convicted felon who is currently serving as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was elected mayor of the city six times serving from 199 ...
. The ''Courant'' went on to endorse independent candidate
Oz Griebel Richard Nelson "Oz" Griebel (June 21, 1949 – July 29, 2020) was an American banker, lawyer, and political candidate. He ran as a Republican primary candidate in the 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial election, and as an independent in the 2018 gu ...
in the general election. For the 2020 Presidential Election, The ''Courant'' weighed in, endorsing Democrat Joe Biden over Republican candidate Donald Trump. The Courant took a stronger stance in its 2020 endorsement against Trump than it did in 2016, arguing that a vote for Trump was a vote for racism.


Controversies


Sleepy's

In August 2009, the ''Courant'' attracted controversy over its firing of George Gombossy, a 40-year veteran of the paper and its consumer advocate at the time. Gombossy charged that the ''Courant'' had spiked an article he had written about an ongoing investigation by the
Connecticut attorney general The Connecticut Attorney General is the state attorney general of Connecticut. The Attorney General is elected to a four-year term. According to state statute, eligibility for the office requires being "an attorney at law of at least ten years' ...
accusing
Sleepy's Sleepy's was a retail mattress chain with over 1,000 stores, primarily situated in the northeastern United States. The company was founded in New York City in 1931. Sleepy's was acquired by Mattress Firm in December 2015 and all stores were reb ...
(a major advertiser in the paper) of selling used and bedbug-infested mattresses as new. Gombossy's lawsuit against the ''Courant'' was thrown out by a
Connecticut Superior Court The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial dis ...
judge in July 2010. In his decision, Judge Marshall K. Berger, Jr. remarked that newspaper owners and editors have a "paramount" right to "control hecontent of their papers," further observing that in his role at the ''Courant'', Gombossy had "no constitutional right to publish anything." However, Gombossy's attorneys filed a second complaint, and Judge Berger reinstated the complaint. The case headed to trial in the fall of 2011.


Plagiarism

In September 2009 the ''Courant's'' publisher, Richard Graziano, publicly apologized as the newspaper accepted a plagiarism charge. Competitors had accused the ''Courant'' of taking its content without permission and refusing to give proper credit.Hartford Courant Admits Plagiarism, Offers Apology
Editor and Publisher.


References


Further reading

* McNulty, J. Bard. ''Older than the Nation: The Story of the'' Hartford Courant (1964) * Smith, J. Eugene. ''100 Years of Hartford's'' Courant'': From Colonial Times through the Civil War'' (1949)


External links

*
The ''Courant'' mobile
* ttps://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/ ''Columbia Journalism Review's'' "Who Owns What" page about media companies.*https://twitter.com/hartfordcourant *https://www.facebook.com/hartfordcourant/ *https://www.youtube.com/user/hartfordcourantnews/featured {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartford Courant, The Newspapers published in Connecticut Mass media in Hartford, Connecticut Tribune Publishing Companies based in Hartford, Connecticut Publications established in 1764 1764 establishments in Connecticut Works involved in plagiarism controversies Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers Newspapers of colonial America