The ''Indianapolis Times'' was an evening newspaper that served the city of

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

, from 1888 to 1965 when the paper ceased publishing.

History

The ''Indianapolis Times'' began as the ''Sun'' in 1888, "the only one cent paper in Indiana" at the time. J. J. Sweeney owned the majority of the company and Fred L. Purdy owned a minority share and filled the role of editor. From 1888 to 1899, the ''Sun's'' circulation grew to almost 13,000. The daily paper was renamed the ''Indianapolis Sun'' in 1899.olume(Indianapolis, Ind.) 1899-1913"> Indiana newspaper businessman Rudolph G. Leeds bought the ''Indianapolis Sun'' in 1910 before selling it to George H. Larke and William D. Boyce in 1913. Under the name ''Evening Sun'' from 1913 to 1914, the circulation of the paper spiked to over 34,000. Boyce and the new co-owner, John W. Banbury, renamed the paper the ''Indiana Daily Times'' in 1914, and it reached a circulation of over 46,000 the following year. It was not until 1922 that the paper became the ''Indianapolis Times'' when

Scripps-Howard The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is h ...

bought it.olume(Indianapolis nd. 1922-1965"> Roy W. Howard was the president of Scripps-Howard publishing from 1922 to 1964. He managed the ''Times'' alongside the

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 2 ...

wire service.

Journalistic impact

The ''Indianapolis Times'' was recognized for "crusading" journalism and advocacy efforts. Story topics included voter fraud, state government financial scandals, falsely reported crime statistics, and improving public school lunches. Under the leadership of editor Boyd Gurley, the ''Indianapolis Times'' received a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

for

Public Service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

after it successfully exposed

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

involvement in state politics, including corruption between Governor Ed Jackson and Indiana Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the ''Times'' used its influence to raise money for charities that provided coats and other clothing items for children. In the 1960-1961 recession the ''Times'' ran free employment ads that helped 4,000 Hoosiers find jobs. The competition from the '' Indianapolis News'' and ''

Indianapolis Star Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

'' proved to be too much for the ''Indianapolis Times''. The newspaper ceased operations in October 1965, publishing its last issue on the 11th, with the daily circulation just below 90,000 and the Sunday circulation at 101,000. There is a historical marker located at the site of the ''Times'' building in the 300 block of W. Maryland Street at Capitol Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. The ''Times'' building is long gone, but the marker honors the location and the paper's lasting positive civic impact.

References

{{PulitzerPrize PublicService 1926–1950 Newspapers published in Indiana Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers Mass media in Indianapolis Publications established in 1878 Publications disestablished in 1965 Defunct newspapers published in Indiana 1878 establishments in Indiana 1965 disestablishments in Indiana Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners