The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Journal has won four Pulitzer Prizes: in 1968, 1971, 1987 and 1994.

History

The paper was founded with the 1897 merger of the ''Summit Beacon,'' first published in 1839, and the ''Akron Evening Journal,'' founded in 1896. In 1903, the ''Beacon Journal'' was purchased by

Charles Landon Knight Charles Landon Knight (June 18, 1867 – September 26, 1933) was an American lawyer and newspaper publisher who represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives from 1921-1923. His sons built his newspaper business into what would ...

. His son

John S. Knight John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American newspaper publisher and editor based in Akron, Ohio. Early life and education Knight was born in Bluefield, West Virginia, to Charles Landon Knight and Clara Irene Shivel ...

inherited the paper, in 1933, on Charles' death. The ''Beacon Journal'' under Knight was the original and flagship newspaper of Knight Newspaper Company, later called Knight Ridder.

The McClatchy Company The McClatchy Company, commonly referred to as simply McClatchy, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law and based in Sacramento, California. It operates 29 daily newspapers in fourteen states an ...

bought Knight Ridder in June 2006 with intentions of selling 12 Knight Ridder newspapers. On August 2, 2006, McClatchy sold the ''Beacon Journal'' to

Black Press Black Press Group Ltd. is a Canadian publisher of prominent daily newspapers in Hawaii and Alaska and numerous non-daily newspapers in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, and (via Sound Publishing) the U.S. state of Washington. Black Press M ...

. In 2018, GateHouse Media bought the newspaper. On November 11, 2013, the ''Akron Beacon Journal'' printed its last paper in-house. It subsequently used the presses at ''

The Repository ''The Repository'' is an American daily local newspaper serving the Canton, Ohio area. It is currently owned by Gannett. History Historically, the newspaper had strong Republican connections, most notably with President William McKinley, who wa ...

'' in Canton, Ohio, also owned by GateHouse. it was using the presses at ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' in Cleveland.

Notable journalists

Herman Fetzer Herman Fetzer (24 June 1899 - 17 January 1935), better known as "Jake Falstaff" to ''Akron Times'' and '' Cleveland Press'' readers, was an American writer and journalist. Biography He was born in Maple Valley, Ohio, to Lydia Meyer and Levi E. ...

: better known as "Jake Falstaff" to the Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Times and Cleveland Press readers, worked as suburban reporter for the Akron Times, where in 1920 he began his column ''Pippins and Cheese,” taking its title and his pen name from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's Merry Wives of Windsor. While working at the Akron Beacon Journal, his desk sat adjacent to that of writer

Josephine Van de Grift Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States *Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Coun ...

, columnist of ''Demi-Tasse and Mrs. Grundy.'' * Sheldon Ocker: Covered the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

for the ''Beacon Journal.'' Received the 2018

J. G. Taylor Spink Award The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...

; inducted him into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. *

Terry Pluto Terry Pluto (born June 12, 1955) is an American sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and author who primarily writes columns for ''The Plain Dealer'', and formerly for the '' Akron Beacon Journal'' about Cleveland, Ohio sports and religion. Plu ...

: recognized as NSSA Ohio Sportswriter of the year multiple times. Wrote more than 20 books, mostly about Northeast Ohio sports.

Awards

The paper has won four Pulitzer Prizes: * 1968

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style ...

(

) for

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

weekly notebook columns * 1971 Pulitzer Prize for General Local Reporting for coverage of

Kent State Shootings The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...

* 1987 Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting for coverage of potential Goodyear takeover: "The Goodyear War" * 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for race relations series: "A Question of Color"

References

External links

McClatchy to Sell the Akron Beacon Journal to Black Press Ltd. (news release)

Search Akron Beacon Journal Archive
{{Authority control Newspapers published in Ohio Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers Mass media in Akron, Ohio 1839 establishments in Ohio Black Press newspapers Newspapers established in 1839 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners Gannett publications