The
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major regional newspaper in St.
Louis, in the U.S. state of Missouri, serving Greater St. Louis. It is
the only remaining printed daily newspaper in the city. It is the
fifth-largest newspaper in the midwestern United States, and is the
26th-largest newspaper in the U.S.[3] According to its masthead, the
publication has received eighteen Pulitzer Prizes.
The paper is owned by
Lee Enterprises
.JPG/400px-Mississippi_Plaza_(Davenport,_Iowa).JPG)
Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa, which
purchased
Pulitzer, Inc. in 2005 in a cash deal valued at
$1.46 billion.
Contents
1 Platform
2 History
2.1 Early years
2.2 20th century
2.3 21st century
3 Circulation
4 Weatherbird
5 Notable people
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Platform[edit]
On April 10, 1907, Pulitzer wrote what became known as the paper's
platform:
I know that my retirement will make no difference in its cardinal
principles, that it will always fight for progress and reform, never
tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all
parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes
and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always
remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely
printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to
attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.[4]
History[edit]
Early years[edit]
In 1878,
Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer purchased the bankrupt
St. Louis

St. Louis Dispatch at
a public auction[5] and merged it with the
St. Louis

St. Louis Evening Post to
create the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post and Dispatch, whose title was soon shortened
to its current form. He appointed John A. Cockerill as the managing
editor. Its first edition, 4,020 copies of four pages each, appeared
on December 12, 1878.
In 1882,
James Overton Broadhead

James Overton Broadhead ran for US Congress against John
Glover. The
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, at Cockerill's direction, ran a
number of articles questioning Broadhead's role in a lawsuit between a
gaslight company and the city; Broadhead never responded to the
charges.[6] Broadhead's friend and law partner, Alonzo W. Slayback,
publicly defended Broadhead, asserting that the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch was nothing more than a "blackmailing sheet." The next
day, 13 Oct 1882, Cockerill re-ran an offensive "card" by John Glover
that the paper had published the prior November (11 Nov 1881).
Incensed, Slayback barged into Cockerill's offices at the paper
demanding an apology. Cockerill shot and killed Slayback; he claimed
self-defense, and a pistol was allegedly found on Slayback's body. A
grand jury refused to indict Cockerill for murder, but the economic
consequences for the paper were severe. Therefore, in May 1883,
Pulitzer sent Cockerill to New York to manage the
New York World

New York World for
him.[7]
The Post-Dispatch was one of the first daily newspapers to print a
comics section in color, on the back page of the features section,
styled the "Everyday Magazine."[citation needed]
20th century[edit]
At one time, the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch had the second-largest news
bureau in Washington, D.C. of any newspaper in the Midwestern United
States.[8]
After his retirement, generations of Pulitzers guided the newspaper,
ending when great-grandson
Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer IV left the company in
1995.
The Post-Dispatch was characterized by a liberal editorial page and
columnists, including Marquis Childs. The editorial page was noted
also for political cartoons by
Daniel R. Fitzpatrick

Daniel R. Fitzpatrick and Bill
Mauldin.[when?]
Several months prior to the anniversary edition, the newspaper
published a 63rd anniversary tribute to "Our Own Oddities", a
lighthearted feature that ran from 1940 to 1990.
During the presidency of Harry S. Truman, the paper was one of his
most outspoken critics. It associated him with the Pendergast machine
in Kansas City, and constantly attacked his integrity.
In 1959 the
St. Louis

St. Louis Globe-Democrat entered into a joint operating
agreement with the Post-Dispatch. The Post–Globe operation merged
advertising, printing functions and shared profits. The Post-Dispatch,
distributed evenings, had a smaller circulation than the
Globe-Democrat, a morning daily. The Globe-Democrat folded in 1983,
leaving the Post-Dispatch as the only daily newspaper in the
region.[9]
In August 1973 a
Teamsters
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Teamsters union representing Globe and Post-Dispatch
staffers went on strike, halting production for six weeks.[10]
21st century[edit]
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch headquarters
On January 13, 2004, the Post-Dispatch published a 125th anniversary
edition, which included some highlights of the paper's 125 years:
The story of Charles Lindbergh, who flew across the Atlantic despite
being denied financial or written support from the Post-Dispatch.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning campaign to clean up smoke pollution in St.
Louis. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the city had the filthiest
air in America. See 1939
St. Louis

St. Louis smog.
The sports coverage, including nine "
St. Louis

St. Louis baseball Cardinals"
championships, an NBA title by the
St. Louis

St. Louis Hawks in 1958, and the
2000 Super Bowl victory of the
St. Louis

St. Louis Rams.
Coverage of the city's "cultural icons" including Kate Chopin,
Tennessee Williams, Chuck Berry, and Miles Davis.
On January 31, 2005, Michael Pulitzer announced the sale of Pulitzer,
Inc. and all its assets, including the Post-Dispatch and a small share
of the
St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals, to
Lee Enterprises
.JPG/400px-Mississippi_Plaza_(Davenport,_Iowa).JPG)
Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa, for
$1.46 billion. He said no family members would serve on the board
of the merged company.
The Post-Dispatch underwent a major redesign in September 2005, which
brought a new layout, new fonts, and localized editions for St.
Charles County and Illinois. Many readers have criticized the new
format for devoting a larger percentage of page space to
advertisements and relying too much on wire services and dispatches
from other newspapers.[citation needed]
On March 12, 2007, the paper eliminated 31 jobs, mostly in its
circulation, classified phone rooms, production, purchasing, telephone
operations and marketing departments.[11]
On March 23, 2009, the paper converted to a compact style every day
from the previous broadsheet Sunday through Friday and tabloid on
Saturday.
On May 4, 2012, the Post-Dispatch named a new editor, Gilbert Bailon.
"Robbins steps down as editor of
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bailon takes
role".[citation needed]
The Post-Dispatch prices are: $1.50 daily, $2.50 Sunday/Thanksgiving
Day. On October 1, 2012, the price of the daily edition increased by
50% to $1.50. Six days later, its Sunday/Thanksgiving edition
increased its price 25%.
Sales tax

Sales tax is included at newsracks.
On April 28, 2014, the paper implemented a partial pay wall digital
subscription online for $24.80 for eight weeks. The introductory print
subscription for the same time length is $31.90[12][13]
Circulation[edit]
Circulation dropped for the daily paper from 213,472 to 191,631 to
178,801 for the two years after 2010, ending on September 30, 2011,
and September 30, 2012. The Sunday paper also decreased from 401,427
to 332,825 to 299,227.[14] According to Echomedia.com, the paper's
paid print circulation figures (updated on June 5, 2014) were 225,889
daily and 252,000 Sunday,[15] while
St. Louis

St. Louis Magazine mentioned the
corresponding figures from the
Alliance for Audited Media in March
2014 for the previous six-month average were 137,380 daily and 223,826
Sunday.[12] The circulation as of September 30, 2016 was 98,104 daily
and 157,543 Sunday.[2]
Weatherbird[edit]
First appearance of the Weatherbird, February 11, 1901
Main article: Weatherbird
On February 11, 1901, the paper introduced a front-page feature called
the "Weatherbird", a cartoon bird accompanying the daily weather
forecast. "Weatherbird" is the oldest continuous cartoon in the United
States today. Created by
Harry B. Martin

Harry B. Martin who drew it through 1903, it
has since been drawn by Oscar Chopin (1903–1910); S. Carlisle Martin
(1910–1932);
Amadee Wohlschlaeger (1932–1981); Albert Schweitzer,
the first one to draw the
Weatherbird

Weatherbird in color (1981–1986); and Dan
Martin (1986–present).[16]
Notable people[edit]
Jerry Berger, society columnist, 1980–2004
Bob Broeg, Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1946–2004
Jacob Burck, political cartoonist, 1937–1938
Cole Charles Campbell, editor, 1996–2000.[17]
Richard Dudman, national affairs correspondent and Washington bureau
chief, 1950–1981
Rick Hummel, Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1971–
Clair Kenamore, foreign correspondent, telegraph editor, feature
writer and Sunday magazine editor, early 20th century
Joe Mahr, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist
2006–2009
Rose Marion (ca. 1875-1947), feature writer
Marguerite Martyn, reporter and artist (born ca. 1880, died 1948)[18]
Bernie Miklasz, sports columnist, 1985–2015
Robert Minor, political cartoonist, 1907–1911
Charlie Ross, chief Washington correspondent and editor 1918–1945
Lou Rose, investigative reporter, 1964–1995 [19]
Neal Russo, baseball writer and copy editor, 1947–1990
Elaine Viets, columnist, 1975–2000.
Joe Williams, film critic, 1996–2015
William Woo, 1962-1996, journalist & editor-in-chief
See also[edit]
Missouri

Missouri portal
Journalism portal
St. Louis

St. Louis Beacon, an online-only news site founded by some former
reporters and editors of the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, a major competing
St. Louis

St. Louis daily newspaper,
located one block away on the same street, closed in 1986
St. Louis

St. Louis Sun, a short lived competing daily newspaper started in 1989
100 Neediest Cases, an annual charitable giving campaign sponsored in
part by the Post-Dispatch
Riverfront Times, the
St. Louis

St. Louis weekly newspaper
The Sporting News, another large paper started in
St. Louis

St. Louis at offices
on Tucker Boulevard, by a director of the
St. Louis

St. Louis Browns
Suburban Journals
References[edit]
^
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/new-publisher-named-at-post-dispatch/article_54763414-9f6e-52b2-a2cd-8ebd3a4ae66e.html
^ a b "Post-Dispatch ups buyout offer to 20 employees". St. Louis
Business Journal. February 3, 2017.
^ Top 100 Newspapers in the United States, Accessed August 17, 2016.
^
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Platform from the newspaper's website.
^ Jolley, Laura R. "Joseph Pulitzer".
Missouri

Missouri Biographies for
Students. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
^ Shepley, Carol Ferring. Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and
Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery.
Missouri

Missouri History
Museum: St. Louis, 2008.
^ http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/slayback.htm
^ Tady, Megan (February 3, 2009). "Washington Reporters' Mass Exodus".
Retrieved February 7, 2009.
^ "ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES IT WILL CLOSE THIS YEAR". The
New York Times. 7 November 1983. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
^ "Post‐Dispatch in
St. Louis

St. Louis Publishes After 6 Weeks". Associated
Press. 6 October 1973. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
^ "
St. Louis

St. Louis Post Dispatch to cut 31 Jobs",
St. Louis

St. Louis Business
Journal, March 12, 2007.
^ a b "The
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Now Has A Partial Paywall. So Who's
Buying?".
St. Louis

St. Louis Magazine. June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 25,
2014.
^ "Post-Dispatch implements partial pay wall online". St. Louis
Business Journal. April 28, 2014.
^ As of September 30, 2012 "2012 Top Media Outlets: Newspapers,
Blogs, Consumer Magazines, Social Networks, and Websites".
BurrellesLuce. January 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
^ "
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch". Echomedia.com. Retrieved June 25,
2014.
^ "
St. Louis

St. Louis Public Library UPDATE: A Tribute to Amadee". St. Louis
Public Library, City of St. Louis. September 4, 2014. Retrieved
September 8, 2016.
^ Johnston, David Cay (January 8, 2007), "". The New York Times.
^ "
Marguerite Martyn

Marguerite Martyn Dies; Artist, Writer,"
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
April 17, 1948, page 5A
^
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/obituaries/louis-j-rose-investigative-reporter-exposed-st-louis-corruption/article_b81cde0b-69ef-581e-bc3c-42beca778008.html
Further reading[edit]
Jim McWilliams, Mark Twain in the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874–1891
(Troy, New York: Whitston Publishing Company, 1997).
Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. The world's great dailies:
profiles of fifty newspapers (1980) pp 286–93
Daniel W. Pfaff,
Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer II and the Post-Dispatch: A
Newspaperman's Life (University Park: Pennsylvania State University
Press, 1991).
Julian S. Rammelkamp, Pulitzer's Post-Dispatch, 1878–1883
(Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967).
Charles G. Ross and Carlos F. Hurd, The Story of the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch (St. Louis: Pulitzer Publishing, 1944).
The
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Appraised by Ten Distinguished
Americans (St. Louis, 1926).
Orrick Johns, Time of Our Lives: The Story of My Father and Myself,
(New York, 1937). George Sibley Johns, father of the author, was
editor of the Post-Dispatch for many years, and was the last of Joseph
Pulitzer's "Fighting Editors".
Dan Martin, The story of the First 100 Years of the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post
Dispatch
Weatherbird

Weatherbird (St. Louis, 2001).
External links[edit]
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch website
Official mobile site
Circulation numbers (MO St. Louis) for the
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch,(as
of September 30, 2008)
St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Online Store
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Lee Enterprises
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Lee Enterprises Inc.
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