The ''New York World'' was a

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 ...

published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher

Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born Pulitzer József, ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and newspaper publisher of the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in ...

, it was a pioneer in

yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...

, capturing readers' attention with sensation, sports, sex and scandal and pushing its daily circulation to the one-million mark. It was sold in 1930 and merged into the ''

New York World-Telegram The ''New York World-Telegram'', later known as the ''New York World-Telegram and The Sun'', was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966. History Founded by James Gordon Bennett Sr. as ''The Evening Telegram'' in 1867, the newspaper began ...

''.

History

Early years

The ''World'' was formed in 1860. From 1862 to 1876, it was edited by Manton Marble, who was also its proprietor. During the

1864 United States presidential election The 1864 United States presidential election was the 20th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1864. Near the end of the American Civil War, incumbent President Abraham Lincoln of the National Union Party easily ...

, the ''World'' was shut down for three days after it published forged documents purportedly from

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. Marble, disgusted by the defeat of

Samuel Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...

in the 1876 presidential election, sold the paper after the election to a group headed by Thomas A. Scott, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who used the paper "as a propaganda vehicle for his stock enterprises." But Scott was unable to meet the newspaper's growing losses, and in 1879 he sold it to financier

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...

as part of a deal that also included the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Gould, like Scott, used the paper for his own purposes, employing it to help him take over

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...

. But Gould could not turn the financial state of the newspaper around, and by the 1880s, it was losing $40,000 a year.

Joseph Pulitzer years

bought the ''World'' in 1883 and began an aggressive era of circulation building. Reporter

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

became one of America's first

investigative journalists Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

, often working undercover. As a

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...

for the paper, inspired by the Jules Verne novel '' Around the World in Eighty Days'', she traveled around the planet in 72 days in 1889–1890. In 1890, Pulitzer built the ''New York World'' Building, the tallest office building in the world at the time. In 1889,

Julius Chambers Julius Chambers, F.R.G.S., (November 21, 1850 – February 12, 1920) was an American author, editor, journalist, travel writer, and activist against psychiatric abuse. Life and works Julius Chambers was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on November ...

was appointed by Pulitzer as managing editor of the ''New York World;'' he served until 1891. New York Sunday World 1895-07-28

In 1896, the ''World'' began using a four-color printing press; it was the first newspaper to launch a color supplement, which featured ''

The Yellow Kid The Yellow Kid (Mickey Dugan) is an American comic strip character that appeared from 1895 to 1898 in Joseph Pulitzer's ''New York World'', and later William Randolph Hearst's ''New York Journal''. Created and drawn by Richard F. Outcault in t ...

'' cartoon ''Hogan's Alley''. It joined a circulation battle with

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

's '' New York Journal-American''. In 1899 Pulitzer along with Hearst were the cause of the

newsboys' strike of 1899 The newsboys' strike of 1899 was a U.S. youth-led campaign to facilitate change in the way that Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst's newspapers compensated their force of newsboys or newspaper hawkers. The strikers demonstrated across N ...

which led to Pulitzer's circulation dropping by 70%. The ''World'' was attacked for being "sensational", and its circulation battles with Hearst's ''Journal American'' gave rise to the term

. The charges of sensationalism were most frequently leveled at the paper by more established publishers, who resented Pulitzer's courting of the immigrant classes. And while the ''World'' presented its fair share of crime stories, it also published damning exposés of

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

abuses. After a heat wave in 1883 killed a disproportionate number of poor children, the ''World'' published stories about it, featuring such headlines as "Lines of Little Hearses". Its coverage spurred action in the city for reform. Hearst reproduced Pulitzer's approach in the '' San Francisco Examiner'' and later in the ''Journal American''. Charles Chapin was hired in 1898 as City Editor of the ''

Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was publ ...

''. He was most known for embracing the sensational and showing little empathy in the face of tragedy, only taking a more solemn tone when reporting on the assassination of

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

in 1901. He controlled the newsroom with an iron fist, and was commonly despised by the journalists who worked for him. Chapin fired 108 newspaper men during his tenure. However, Stanley Walker still referred to him as "the greatest city editor that ever lived." His time at the ''World'' ended when, after falling into financial ruin, he murdered his wife in 1918. He was sentenced to

Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

and died there in 1930. New York World - Twain

Frank Irving Cobb was employed on a trial basis as the editor of the ''World'' in 1904 by publisher Pulitzer. Cobb was a fiercely independent Kansan who resisted Pulitzer's attempts to "run the office" from his home. The elder man was so invested in the paper that he continually meddled with Cobb's work. The two found common ground in their support of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, but they had many other areas of disagreement. When Pulitzer's son took over administrative responsibility of ''The World'' in 1907, his father wrote a precisely worded resignation. Cobb had it printed in every New York paper—except the ''World''. Pulitzer raged at the insult, but slowly began to respect Cobb's editorials and independent spirit. Exchanges, commentaries, and messages between them increased. The good rapport between the two was based largely on Cobb's flexibility. In May 1908, Cobb and Pulitzer met to outline plans for a consistent editorial policy. John McNaught went to New York to work under Joseph Pulitzer as his personal secretary from 1907 to 1912. When he left ''The Evening World,'' he became editor of the ''New York Morning World'' through 1915. Pulitzer's demands for editorials on contemporary news led to overwork by Cobb. The publisher sent his managing editor on a six-week tour of Europe to restore his spirit. Shortly after Cobb's return, Pulitzer died. Cobb then published Pulitzer's resignation. Cobb retained the editorial policies he had shared with Pulitzer until he died of cancer in 1923.

Later years

When Pulitzer died in 1911, he passed control of the ''World'' to his sons Ralph, Joseph and Herbert. The ''World'' continued to grow under its executive editor

Herbert Bayard Swope Herbert Bayard Swope Sr. (; January 5, 1882 – June 20, 1958) was an American editor, journalist and intimate of the Algonquin Round Table. Swope spent most of his career at the ''New York World.'' He was the first and three-time recipient of t ...

, who hired writers such as Frank Sullivan and

Deems Taylor Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American music critic, composer, and promoter of classical music. Nat Benchley, co-editor of ''The Lost Algonquin Roundtable'', referred to him as "the dean of American music." Earl ...

. Among the ''Worlds noted journalists were columnists

Franklin Pierce Adams Franklin Pierce Adams (November 15, 1881 – March 23, 1960) was an American columnist known as Franklin P. Adams and by his initials F.P.A.. Famed for his wit, he is best known for his newspaper column, "The Conning Tower", and his appearances a ...

(F.P.A.) who wrote "The Conning Tower," Heywood Broun who penned "It Seems To Me" on the editorial page, and

hardboiled Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...

writer James M. Cain. C. M. Payne created several comic strips for the newspaper. The paper published the first

crossword puzzle A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answ ...

in December 1913. The annual reference book, called '' The World Almanac,'' was founded by the newspaper, and its name, ''World'' Almanac, is directly descended from the newspaper. The paper ran a twenty-one article series that was an exposé on the inner workings of the Ku Klux Klan, starting September 6, 1921.Press Publishing Co. "New York World's Expose of the KKK." New Orleans Times-Picayune 07 Sep 1921 – 26 Mon 1921, Print. In 1931, Pulitzer's heirs went to court to sell the ''World''; a surrogate court judge decided in their favor;

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 he ...

chain owner

Roy W. Howard Roy W. Howard (1883–1964) was an American newspaperman with a long association with E. W. Scripps Company. He was president of E. W. Scripps Company and the United Press, and chairman of Scripps Howard Newspapers. He began his newspaper care ...

purchased the paper to eliminate its competition. He closed the ''World'' and laid off the staff of 3,000 after the final issue was printed on February 27, 1931, then merely replaced the word "Evening" on his afternoon paper, the ''Evening Telegram'', renaming it the ''

''.

Comic strips

The ''New York World'' was one of the first newspapers to publish comic strips, starting around 1890, and contributed greatly to the development of the American comic strip. Notable strips that originated with the ''World'' included Outcault's '' Hogan's Alley'', '' The Captain and the Kids'', ''Everyday Movies'', ''

Fritzi Ritz ''Fritzi Ritz'' is an American comic strip created in 1922 by Larry Whittington. In 1925, the strip was taken over by Ernie Bushmiller and, in 1938, the daily strip evolved into the popular '' Nancy''. The Sunday edition of the strip, begun by B ...

'', ''Joe Jinks'', and '' Little Mary Mixup''. Under the names World Feature Service and New York World Press Publishing the company also syndicated comic strips to other newspapers around the country beginning around 1905. With the Scripps' acquisition of the ''World'' newspaper and its syndication assets in February 1931, the ''World'''s most popular strips were brought over to Scripps'

United Feature Syndicate United Feature Syndicate (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media (along ...

.Booker, M. Keith. "United Feature Syndicate," in ''Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas'' ( ABC-CLIO, 2014), p. 399.

Legacy

Janet E. Steele argues that Pulitzer put a stamp on his age when he brought his brand of journalism from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to New York in 1883. In his ''New York World'', Pulitzer emphasized illustrations, advertising, and a culture of consumption for working men. He believed they saved money to enjoy life with their families when they could, at Coney Island, for example. By contrast, the long-established editor Charles A. Dana, of '' The Sun'', held to a traditional view of the working man as one engaged in a struggle to better his working conditions and to improve himself. Dana thought that readers in the 20th century followed fewer faddish illustrations and wished newspapers did not need advertising. Dana resisted buying a Linotype. In time the more sensational approach to news, advertising, and content triumphed.

Revival

On May 16, 2011, the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...

announced that it was launching an online publication named ''The New York World,'' in honor of the original newspaper published by Pulitzer, who founded the graduate school. The university said the mission of the publication would be "to provide New York City citizens with accountability journalism about government operations that affect their lives." It was to be staffed mainly by those who have completed master's or doctoral degrees, and other affiliates of the school. The online publication focuses on data journalism and collaborated with a number of local and national news outlets. The ''World'' lists contributors and an editor, but has not published new content since 2016.

Notable journalists of the ''World''

Eunice Eloisae Gibbs Allyn Eunice Gibbs Allyn (, Gibbs; pen names, (multiple); 1847 – June 30, 1916) was an American correspondent, author, songwriter, illustrator, and painter. She intended to become a teacher, but her mother dissuaded her so she remained at home, ente ...

(1847 - 1916) * John A. Arneaux (1855–) * Harriet Hubbard Ayer (1849–1903) * John L. Balderston (1889–1954) *

Djuna Barnes Djuna Barnes (, June 12, 1892 – June 18, 1982) was an American artist, illustrator, journalist, and writer who is perhaps best known for her novel ''Nightwood'' (1936), a cult classic of lesbian fiction and an important work of modernist liter ...

(1892–1982) * Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Jane Cochrane) (1864–1922) * Heywood Broun (1888–1939) * Mazie E. Clemens (1890s-1952) * Irvin S. Cobb (1876–1944) * Eliza Archard Conner (1838–1912) *

Varina Davis Varina Anne Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to a house in Richmond, Virginia, in mid-1 ...

(1826 – 1906), columnist after her move to New York; widow of the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis * Howard C. Hillegas (1872–1918) * Joseph Jackson (1894 – 1932), assistant drama editor at '' The New York World'' and Hollywood screenwriter"Film Beauty Weds Publicity Manager"
''Los Angeles Evening Express''. February 19, 1921. p.2. Retrieved February15, 2022. *

Walter Lippman Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

(1889–1974) *

St. Clair McKelway St. Clair McKelway (February 13, 1905 – January 10, 1980) was a writer and editor for ''The New Yorker'' magazine beginning in 1933. Childhood McKelway was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Alexander McKelway, a Presbyterian minister, ...

(1905–1980) *

William Brown Meloney (1878–1925) William Brown Meloney (1877–1925) was a journalist, writer, executive secretary to Mayor William Jay Gaynor of New York City and a historian of shipping. Biography He was born on June 6, 1877, in San Francisco, California. His grandfathers w ...

Charles Edward Russell Charles Edward Russell (September 25, 1860 in Davenport, Iowa – April 23, 1941 in Washington, D.C.) was an American journalist, opinion columnist, newspaper editor, and political activist. The author of a number of books of biography and soci ...

(1886–1894) * Frank Sullivan (1892–1976) *

(1885–1966) *

Albert Payson Terhune Albert Payson Terhune (December 21, 1872 – February 18, 1942) was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. He was popular for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kenne ...

(1872–1942) * Marie Robinson Wright (1853–1914), American journalist, traveler, historian, author

References

External links

* *Original ''New York World'' articles a
Nellie Bly Online''Slate'' article about the ''World Magazine''s graphic design''New York World'' of the Columbia School of Journalism
{{Authority control Defunct newspapers published in New York City Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers Newspapers established in 1860 Publications disestablished in 1931 Democratic newspapers (United States) 1860 establishments in New York (state) 1931 disestablishments in New York (state) Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners Pulitzer family (newspapers) Daily newspapers published in New York City