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United Media was a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper
syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...
service based in the United States, owned by the
E. W. Scripps Company 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 ...
, that operated from 1978 to 2011. It syndicated 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core businesses were the
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 ...
and the
Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary ne ...
.


History

E. W. Scripps Edward Willis Scripps (June 18, 1854 – March 12, 1926), was an American newspaper publisher and, together with his sister Ellen Browning Scripps, founder of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diversified media conglomerate, and United Press ne ...
started his newspaper career in the 1885, and owned 22 newspapers by 1910. In 1897, he created two companies, the Scripps-McRae Press Association and the Scripps News Association. In 1907, he combined a number of news providers into
United Press Associations 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 20 ...
as a rival to
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...
. On June 2, 1902, the new Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), based in Cleveland, Ohio, started as a news report service for different Scripps-owned newspapers. It started selling content to non-Scripps owned newspapers in 1907, and by 1909, it became a more general syndicate, offering comics, pictures and features as well. At that time, it had some 100 features available. United Feature Syndicate was formed in 1919. It became a dominant player in the syndication market in the early 1930s. In March 1930, United Features acquired the
Metropolitan Newspaper Service Metropolitan Newspaper Service (MNS) was a syndication service based in New York City that operated from 1919 to 1932. At first the syndication service of '' Metropolitan Magazine'', it soon became affiliated with the Bell Syndicate, and then was a ...
(ostensibly from the
Bell Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West ...
)."United Feature Syndicate Buys Metropolitan Service From Elser: Both Firms Will Retain Separate Identities, With Elser Remaining as Vice-President — Monte Bourjaily to Direct Both Organizations," ''Editor & Publisher'' (March 15, 1930). Archived a
"News of Yore 1930: Another Syndicate Gobbled,"
''Stripper's Guide'' (May 4, 2010).
And in late February 1931, Scripps acquired the ''
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper 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 publ ...
'', which controlled the syndication arms of the Pulitzer company:
World Feature Service 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 Richard F. Ou ...
and
Press Publishing Co. 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 Richard F. Out ...
(which unlike other syndicates were owned by the paper rather than being separate entities). An April 1933 article in '' Fortune'' described United Feature as one of the "Big Four" American syndicates (along with
King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
,
Chicago Tribune Syndicate Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...
, and the
Bell Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West ...
).
Jeet Heer Jeet Heer is a Canadian author, comics critic, literary critic and journalist. He is a national affairs correspondent for ''The Nation'' magazine and a former staff writer at ''The New Republic''. As of 2014, he was writing a doctoral thesis at Yor ...
, "Crane's Great Gamble", in Roy Crane, ''Buz Sawyer: 1, The War in the Pacific''. Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2011.
United Features and NEA both became successful distributors of newspaper comics in the 1930s. In 1972, United Features Syndicate acquired and absorbed the
North American Newspaper Alliance The North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA) was a large newspaper syndicate that flourished between 1922 and 1980. NANA employed some of the most noted writing talents of its time, including Grantland Rice, Joseph Alsop, Michael Stern, Lothrop ...
and the
Bell-McClure Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West 4 ...
into its operations. In May 1978 Scripps merged United Features and NEA to form United Media Enterprises (UM). In 1992, United Media donated the Robert Roy Metz Collection of 83,034 original cartoons by 113 cartoonists to the
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is a research library of American cartoons and comic art affiliated with the Ohio State University library system in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as the Cartoon Research Library and the Cartoon Library ...
. In 1994, Jim Davis's company, Paws, Inc., purchased the rights to ''
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the t ...
'' (including the strips from 1978 to 1993) from United Feature. The strip is currently distributed by
Universal Press Syndicate Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, was an independent press syndicate. It distributed lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roge ...
, while rights for the strip remain with Paws. On June 3, 2010, United Media sold their licensing arm, along with the rights to ''
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
'' and ''
Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title cha ...
'', to
Iconix Brand Group Iconix Brand Group is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers primarily in the apparel, footwear, and apparel accessory industries. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Sea ...
. The
Scripps Howard News Service 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 ...
(SHNS) (established 1917) was part of United Media; SHNS went defunct in 2013.Scripps Howard News Service Will Close Down After 96 Years
Bloomberg News, November 13, 2013. Accessed April 5, 2015.
On February 24, 2011, United Media struck a distribution deal with Universal Uclick (now known as
Andrews McMeel Syndication Andrews McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Uclick) is an American content syndicate which provides syndication in print, online and on mobile devices for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and cartoons and various other ...
) for syndication of the company's 150 comic strip and news features, which became effective on June 1 of that year. Of the more than 40 comic strips United Media transferred to Universal Uclick, about 75% of them were United Features strips (as opposed to Newspaper Enterprise Association strips). While United Media effectively ceased to exist, Scripps still maintains copyrights and intellectual property rights. From 1999 until its 2011 takeover by
Universal Uclick Andrews McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Uclick) is an American content syndicate which provides syndication in print, online and on mobile devices for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and cartoons and various other ...
, United Media used the Comics.com domain to promote their existing syndicated strips as well as promote new strips and the burgeoning realm of
webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...
. (Comics.com also featured editorial cartoons, ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' cartoons,
Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
.com, and
Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title cha ...
.com.) The site, however, never worked the way it was planned. As cartoonist and former UM editor of acquisitions and development
Ted Rall Frederick Theodore Rall III (born August 26, 1963) is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-car ...
wrote, Comics.com "was the laughingstock of the industry, full of
Javascript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of Website, websites use JavaScript on the Client (computing), client side ...
gone wild,
404 errors In computer network communications, the HTTP 404, 404 not found, 404, 404 error, page not found or file not found error message is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) standard response code, to indicate that the browser was able to comm ...
and broken widgets."MacDonald, Heidi
"Universal Uclick to syndicate United's comic strips,"
''The Beat'' (February 24, 2011).
According to Rall, outgoing UM President Doug Stern told his employees "that part of the failure of UM was directly attributable to the company's inability to make money online, that they had tried their best but failed." Many involved with the company said that was not the case. Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication took over the Comics.com domain, which currently redirects to GoComics.com, the web's largest catalog of syndicated newspaper strips, political cartoons and webcomics, offering free new content every day.


Syndicated comic strips before June 1, 2011


Newspaper Enterprise Association

* ''
Alley Oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...
'' originally by
V. T. Hamlin Vincent Trout Hamlin (May 10, 1900 – June 14, 1993), who preferred the name V. T. Hamlin, was an American comic strip cartoonist. He created the popular, long-run comic strip ''Alley Oop'', syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. ...
(launched 1932) * ''
Arlo and Janis ''Arlo and Janis'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip written and drawn by Jimmy Johnson (cartoonist), Jimmy Johnson. It is a leisurely paced domestic situation comedy. It was first published in newspapers on July 29, 1985. Cast The focus of ...
'' by Jimmy Johnson (launched 1985) * ''
Big Nate ''Big Nate'' (stylized as ''big NATE'' in the comic collections and ''BiG NATE'' in the books) is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce, syndicated since January 7, 1991. The strip follows sixth-grader Nate Wrigh ...
'' by
Lincoln Peirce Lincoln Peirce (born October 23, 1963) (pronounced "purse") is an American cartoonist and animator, best known as the creator of the successful ''Big Nate'' comic strip and as the author/illustrator of a series of ''Big Nate'' novels for young ...
(launched 1991) * ''
The Born Loser ''The Born Loser'' is a newspaper comic strip created by Art Sansom in 1965. His son, Chip Sansom, who started assisting on the strip in 1989, is the current artist. The strip is distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association. The Sansoms won t ...
'' by Art Sansom (launched 1965) * ''
Drabble A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length."Winners ...
'' by Kevin Fagan(launched 1979) * '' Frank and Ernest'' originally by
Bob Thaves Robert Thaves (October 5, 1924 – August 1, 2006) was the creator of the comic strip '' Frank and Ernest'', which began in 1972. Early life Robert Lee Thaves was born on October 5, 1924, in Burt, Iowa, where his father, John, published local ...
(launched 1972) * '' The Grizzwells'' by
Bill Schorr Bill Schorr is an American cartoonist of syndicated editorial cartoons and comic strips. Early life Schorr was born in New York City, and was raised in and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and California. Career Schorr has been an editorial ...
(launched 1987) * ''
Kit 'n' Carlyle Larry Wright (February 2, 1940 - May 21, 2017) was an American cartoonist, known for his conservative editorial cartoons published in ''The Detroit News'' from 1976 to 2009. He received the National Cartoonist Society The National Cartoonists So ...
'' by Larry Wright (1980–2015) * '' Moderately Confused'' by Jeff Stahler (launched 2003) * '' Shortcuts'' by Jeff Harris (launched August 30, 1999) * '' Soup to Nutz'' by Rick Stromoski (2000–2018)


United Feature Syndicate

* ''
9 Chickweed Lane ''9 Chickweed Lane'' is an American comic strip written and drawn by Brooke McEldowney for over 25 years, which follows the fortunes of the women of three generations of the Burber family: Edna, Juliette, and Edda. 9 Chickweed Lane is the addres ...
'' by Brooke McEldowney (launched 1993) * ''
Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beat ...
'' by Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen (launched 1991) * '' Brevity'' originally by Guy Endore-Kaiser and Rodd Perr (launched 2005) * '' The Buckets'' originally by
Scott Stantis Scott Brian Stantis (born May 2, 1959) is an American editorial cartoonist. Career Stantis is currently the editorial cartoonist for ''The Chicago Tribune''. He began his career with ''The Chicago Tribune'' on September 1, 2009, following the p ...
(launched 1994) — picked up from
Tribune Media Services Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...
* '' Cow and Boy'' by Mark Leiknes (2006–2012) * '' F Minus'' by Tony Carrillo (launched 2006) * ''
Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations o ...
'' by Signe Wilkinson (January 1, 2008 – August 27, 2011) * '' Ferd'nand'' by
Henning Dahl Mikkelsen Henning Dahl Mikkelsen (1915 – June 4, 1982) was a Danish cartoonist, best known for creation of the long running newspaper comic strip '' Ferd'nand'', which he signed as Mik. He was born in Skive, Denmark, and began the pantomime humor stri ...
(1937–2012) * ''
Frazz ''Frazz'' is a syndicated comic strip by Jef Mallett about school custodian Edwin "Frazz" Frazier and the school and students where he works. The strip debuted on 2 April 2001, and , appears in over 250 newspapers and is read by tens of thousan ...
'' by
Jef Mallett Jef Mallett (born 1962) is the creator and artist of the nationally syndicated comic strip '' Frazz''. He attended nursing school as well as EMT training before leaving to pursue his artistic interests. He has a longtime interest in bicycling ...
(launched 2001) * ''
Get Fuzzy ''Get Fuzzy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip written and drawn by Darby Conley. It features Boston advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two anthropomorphic pets, a dog, Satchel Pooch, and a cat, Bucky Katt. While there have been no new c ...
'' by
Darby Conley Darby Conley is an American cartoonist best known for the newspaper comic strip '' Get Fuzzy''. Biography Conley was born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1970, and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. While in high school in 1986, he won a student c ...
(launched 1999) * ''
Graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
'' by Gene Mora (launched May 3, 2011) * '' Grand Avenue'' originally by Mike Thompson (launched 1999) * ''
Health Capsules ''Health Capsules'' is a comic strip syndicated by United Feature Syndicate since February 20, 1961. The comic panel answers reader's health-related questions, accompanied by a humorous illustration. ''Health Capsules'' is currently produced by Br ...
'' originally by Dr. Michael Petti and
Jud Hurd Jud Hurd (1913 – September 14, 2005)Astor, Dave. "Comic Creator and 'Cartoonist Profiles' Editor Jud Hurd Dies," ''Editor & Publisher'' (September 19, 2005). Archived aPolitical Cartoonists Index Accessed Nov. 24, 2018. was a syndicated newspa ...
; then by Bron Smith (launched 1961) * ''
Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minne ...
'' by
Jim Unger Jim Unger (21 January 1937 – 26 May 2012) was a British-born Canadian cartoonist, best known for his syndicated comic strip ''Herman'' which ran for 18 years in 600 newspapers in 25 countries. Early life Unger was born in London, England, to ...
(1975–1992, 1997–2012) * ''
Jane's World ''Jane's World'' was a comic strip by cartoonist Paige Braddock that ran from March 1998 to October 2018. Featuring lesbian and bisexual women characters, the strip stars Jane Wyatt, a young lesbian living in a trailer in Northern California ...
'' by
Paige Braddock Paige Braddock is an American cartoonist best known for her Eisner-nominated comic strip, '' Jane's World'', the first gay-themed comic work to receive online distribution by a national media syndicate in the U.S. Braddock concluded the comic st ...
(entered syndication April 1, 2002) * '' Jump Start'' by Robb Armstrong (launched 1989) * '' KidCity'' by Steve McGarry (launched 2011) — now known as ''KidTown'' * ''
KidSpot News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,000 ...
'' by Dan Thompson (launched May 3, 2011) * ''
The Knight Life Keith Edgar Knight Jr. (born August 24, 1966) is an American cartoonist and musician known for his accessible yet subversive comic strips '' The K Chronicles'', ''(Th)ink'', and ''The Knight Life''. While his work is humorous and universal in ap ...
'' by Keith Knight (launched 2008) * ''
Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lol ...
'' by Todd Clark (launched 1999) — came over from
Tribune Media Services Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...
* '' Luann'' by Greg Evans (launched 1985) — came over from North America Syndicate * ''
Marmaduke ''Marmaduke'' is a newspaper comic strip revolving around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke, drawn by Brad Anderson from June 1954 to 2015. Publication history The strip was created by Anderson, and sold to the John F. Dill ...
'' originally by Brad Anderson (launched 1954) – came over from
National Newspaper Syndicate The National Newspaper Syndicate, originally known as the John F. Dille Co., was a syndication service that operated from 1917 to c. 1984. It was founded by Chicago businessman John F. Dille and specialized in comic strips and gag cartoons. It a ...
in c. 1970 * ''
Monty Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery, Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname. Notable people with the name or nickname include: First name Nickname *Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), British Second ...
'' by
Jim Meddick Jim Meddick (born August 1961) is an American cartoonist. While attending Washington University in St. Louis, he won the Chicago Tribune Student Cartoonist Contest for a strip named ''Paperback Writer''. After graduating, in 1983 he became a pol ...
(launched 1985) — originally titled ''Robotman'' * ''
Nancy Nancy may refer to: Places France * Nancy, France, a city in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle and formerly the capital of the duchy of Lorraine ** Arrondissement of Nancy, surrounding and including the city of Nancy ...
'' originally by
Ernie Bushmiller Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. (August 23, 1905 – August 15, 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the daily comic strip '' Nancy'', which premiered in 1938 and features the title character who has remained in print for over 8 ...
(launched 1938) * '' Off the Mark'' by
Mark Parisi Mark Parisi (born 1961) is the creator of '' Off the Mark'', a comic panel which began in 1987 and now appears in 100 newspapers, as well as on greeting cards, T-shirts, and more. ''Off the Mark'' is distributed daily by Universal Press Syndicate ...
(launched 1987) * ''
Over the Hedge ''Over the Hedge'' is an American syndicated comic strip, written by Michael Fry, and drawn by T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, a turtle, a squirrel, and their friends, who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over, by su ...
'' by
Michael Fry Michael Fry is an American cartoonist, online media entrepreneur, and screenwriter. He is best known for the syndicated comic strips '' Committed'' and '' Over the Hedge'', the latter of which is a collaboration with T. Lewis. ''Over the Hedge'' ...
& by T. Lewis (launched 1995) * ''
Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
'' by
Stephan Pastis Stephan Thomas Pastis (; born January 16, 1968) is an American cartoonist and former lawyer who is the creator of the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''. He also writes children's chapter books, commencing with the release of ''Timmy Failure: ...
(launched 2001) * ''
Prickly City ''Prickly City'' is a daily comic strip originally drawn by Scott Stantis, the editorial cartoonist for the ''Chicago Tribune'', and distributed through United Features Syndicate. The cartoon follows the adventures of Carmen, a young girl of col ...
'' by
Scott Stantis Scott Brian Stantis (born May 2, 1959) is an American editorial cartoonist. Career Stantis is currently the editorial cartoonist for ''The Chicago Tribune''. He began his career with ''The Chicago Tribune'' on September 1, 2009, following the p ...
(launched 2004) * '' Reality Check'' by
Dave Whamond Dave Whamond is a Canadian cartoonist and children's book author/illustrator who draws the newspaper comic strip ''Reality Check'', which has been published daily since 1995. As of 2010, ''Reality Check'' was being distributed by United Feature S ...
(launched 1995) * ''
Rip Haywire ''Rip Haywire'' is an American serial comic strip written and illustrated by North Carolina artist Dan Thompson. It is a comics version of action/adventure entertainment like Indiana Jones, James Bond, and ''Steve Canyon'' for the ''Dilbert'' gen ...
'' by Dan Thompson (launched 2009) * ''
Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fe ...
'' (launched 1918) — came over from
King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
* ''
Rose Is Rose ''Rose Is Rose'' is a syndicated comic strip, written by Pat Brady since its launch on April 16, 1984, and drawn since March 2004 by Don Wimmer. The strip revolves around Rose and Jimbo Gumbo, their son Pasquale, and the family cat Peekaboo. ...
'' by Pat Brady (launched 1984) * ''
Rudy Park ''Rudy Park'' is a syndicated comic strip created by Theron Heir and Darrin Bell. It ran from 2001 to 2018, when it merged with Bell's other strip '' Candorville''. Publication history Before being syndicated, ''Rudy Park'' was published in t ...
'' by
Theron Heir Matt Richtel (born October 2, 1966 in Los Angeles) is an American writer and journalist for ''The New York Times''. He was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series on distracted driving. Education Richtel obtained a bac ...
and
Darrin Bell Darrin Bell (born January 27, 1975) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist and comic strip creator known for the syndicated comic strips ''Candorville'' and ''Rudy Park''. He is a syndicated editorial cartoonist with King Fe ...
(2001–c. 2011; moved to Washington Post Writers Group where it concluded in 2018) * ''
Secret Asian Man ''Secret Asian Man'' is a discontinued weekly comic strip written and drawn by Tak Toyoshima. The strip covers the author's biography and Asian American issues. ''Secret Asian Man'' often centers its discussion on what it means to be Asian Amer ...
'' by
Tak Toyoshima Tak Toyoshima (born April 11, 1971, in New York, New York) is an American art director with the Weekly Dig and the author of the comic strip '' Secret Asian Man''. According to an interview with AArisings, Toyoshima is a second-generation Japane ...
(entered syndication July 16, 2007) * ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' originally by
Hal Foster Harold Rudolf Foster, FRSA (August 16, 1892 – July 25, 1982) was a Canadian-American comic strip artist and writer best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Prince Valiant''. His drawing style is noted for its high level of draftsmanship a ...
(launched 1929) * ''
Uncle Art's Funland ''Uncle Art's Funland'' (also known as ''Funland'' and as ''Uncle Nugent's Funland'') is a long-running syndicated weekly puzzle and entertainment feature originated by Art Nugent (1891–1975). Featuring jokes, riddles, and paper-and-pencil wor ...
'' originally by
Art Nugent Arthur William Nugent (1891 - March 25, 1975), better known as Art Nugent, was an American cartoonist notable for his long-running syndicated puzzle feature, ''Funland'' (aka ''Uncle Art's Funland''), which he drew for four decades. He sometimes ...
(launched 1933) — came over from
Bell-McClure Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West 4 ...
* ''
Working Daze ''Working Daze'' is a comic strip written by John Zakour and illustrated by a series of artists (currently Scott Roberts) that centers around the working relationships of a group of mostly geeks who work for MMM (which stands for either MicroMa ...
'' written by
John Zakour John Zakour (born 1957) is an American science-fiction and humor writer. Biography Zakour was born in upstate New York, in 1957. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam where he received a BA in computer science. Befo ...
(launched 2001) * '' World of Wonder'' by Laurie Triefeldt (launched 2000)


Syndicated editorial cartoons

*
Robert Ariail The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
*
Matt Bors Matt Bors (born 1983) is a nationally syndicated American editorial cartoonist and editor of online comics publication The Nib. Formerly the comics journalism editor for Cartoon Movement, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and 202 ...
* Bill Day *
Jerry Holbert Jerry W. Holbert (November 9, 1958 – August 2, 2022) was an American cartoonist best known for his political cartoons. Holbert had a syndicated editorial comic strip. He received the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award for the ...
*
Mike Lester Michael Eugene Lester (born March 3, 1955) is an American conservative editorial cartoonist and artist who has worked as a children's book illustrator. He is also the creator of the syndicated comic strip ''Mike du Jour''. He was born in Atlan ...
* Henry Payne * Rob Rogers *
Bill Schorr Bill Schorr is an American cartoonist of syndicated editorial cartoons and comic strips. Early life Schorr was born in New York City, and was raised in and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and California. Career Schorr has been an editorial ...
* Jeff Stahler * Ed Stein


Webcomics and web animations

These were published on United Media's site and/or Comics.com; many moved to
GoComics GoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strip ...
: * ''
Barkeater Lake ''Barkeater Lake'' is a webcomic by cartoonist Corey Pandolph, originally published by United Media as part of its Comics.com website from early 2004 through January 5, 2007. Pandolph began publishing the online strip independently on January 22, 2 ...
'' by Corey Pandolph (early 2004 – January 5, 2007) * ''
Boy on a Stick and Slither ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' (Sometimes abbreviated as ''BOASAS'') is a webcomic by Steven L. Cloud. Strips usually feature a short, pithy and sometimes surreal exchange between the title characters. The strip is characterized by dry and cynica ...
'' by Steven L. Cloud (April 2007 – February 2009) * '' Doctor Fun'' by David Farley (1995–2003) * ''
Jane's World ''Jane's World'' was a comic strip by cartoonist Paige Braddock that ran from March 1998 to October 2018. Featuring lesbian and bisexual women characters, the strip stars Jane Wyatt, a young lesbian living in a trailer in Northern California ...
'' by
Paige Braddock Paige Braddock is an American cartoonist best known for her Eisner-nominated comic strip, '' Jane's World'', the first gay-themed comic work to receive online distribution by a national media syndicate in the U.S. Braddock concluded the comic st ...
(launched 2001; entered print syndication in 2002) * ''
Little Dee ''Little Dee'' is a webcomic by Christopher Baldwin about a little girl lost in the woods who is befriended by three animals. The animals talk; Dee doesn't. Publication history Begun on June 7, 2004, ''Little Dee'' is the last of several strips ...
'' by
Christopher Baldwin Christopher Baldwin (born February 25, 1973) is an American illustrator and author of several webcomics, the most significant being ''Bruno'', a look at the life of an introspective young woman set in the real world. Other works include shorter ...
(2006–c. 2007) * ''
Minimum Security A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
'' by
Stephanie McMillan Stephanie McMillan (born 1965) is an American political cartoonist, editorialist, and activist from South Florida. A granddaughter of the German commercial animator Hans Fischerkoesen, McMillan aspired to become a cartoonist from the age of te ...
(launched 2007) * '' Mr. Futz'' (2001) * ''
Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
'' by
Stephan Pastis Stephan Thomas Pastis (; born January 16, 1968) is an American cartoonist and former lawyer who is the creator of the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''. He also writes children's chapter books, commencing with the release of ''Timmy Failure: ...
(launched 2000; entered print syndication in late 2001)Pastis, Stephan, ''Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic'' (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2004; ), p.5: "''Pearls'' was supposed to launch in newspapers on January 7, 2002. But just prior to the launch, the ''Washington Post'' bought the strip and wanted to start running it a week early. Thus, this week of strips ated beginning 12/31was quickly put together just for the ''Post'', and this 2/31strip became the first ''Pearls'' strip, published in exactly one paper". * ''
Pibgorn Pibgorn may refer to: * Pibgorn (instrument) The pibgorn is a Welsh species of idioglot reed aerophone. The name translates literally as "pipe-horn". It is also historically known as cornicyll and pib-corn. It utilises a single reed (Welsh: "cal" ...
'' by Brooke McEldowney (launched March 11, 2002) * ''
Working Daze ''Working Daze'' is a comic strip written by John Zakour and illustrated by a series of artists (currently Scott Roberts) that centers around the working relationships of a group of mostly geeks who work for MMM (which stands for either MicroMa ...
'' originally by
John Zakour John Zakour (born 1957) is an American science-fiction and humor writer. Biography Zakour was born in upstate New York, in 1957. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam where he received a BA in computer science. Befo ...
and Andre Noel (launched 2001; eventually became print syndicated)


Syndicated columns

* ''
A+ Advice for Parents A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
Helping Your Child Succeed in School'' by
Leanna Landsmann Leanna may refer to: People * Leanna Brodie, Canadian actress and playwright * Leanna Carriere-Wellwood, Canadian pole vaulter and heptathlete * Leanna Crawford, American singer-songwriter * Leanna Creel, American actress Fictional characters ...
* ''
The Aces on Bridge ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' by Bobby Wolff * ''Among Friends'' by
Tad Bartimus Tad or TAD may refer to: Places * Tad, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Tad City, Texas, a coastal unincorporated community located on Olsovsky Road (Suburb of Ganado) * Tad, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Tad, Mark ...
* ''
Animal Doctor Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...
'' by
Michael Fox, D.V.M. Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
* '' Ask Mr. Know-It-All'' by Gary Lee Clothier * '' Astro-Graph'' by
Bernice Bede Osol Bernice may refer to: Places In the United States * Bernice, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bernice, Louisiana, a town * Bernice, Nevada, a ghost town * Bernice, Oklahoma, a town * Bernice Coalfield, a coalfield in Sullivan County, P ...
* ''From
Consumer Reports Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded ...
'' * ''
Cook Well, Eat Well Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry ...
'' by Dana Carpender * ''
Desperation Dinners Desperation may refer to: * Despair * Panic * ''Desperation'' (novel), a 1996 Stephen King novel set in the fictional town of Desperation, Nevada * ''Stephen King's Desperation'' (film), a 2006 TV movie based on King's novel * ''Desperation'' ...
'' by
Beverly Mills Beverly or Beverley may refer to: Places Australia *Beverley, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide *Beverley, Western Australia, a town * Shire of Beverley, Western Australia Canada *Beverly, Alberta, a town that amalgamated with the City of E ...
and
Alicia Ross (columnist) Alicia Ross (February 8, 1980 – August 17, 2005) was a young woman from Markham, Ontario, Canada whose disappearance in August 2005 and the resulting investigation became the subject of international media coverage. After the initial widespre ...
* ''
Eat in and Save Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, ...
'' by Marialisa Calta * ''
First Aid for the Ailing House First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: * World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
'' by
Henri de Marne Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mo ...
* ''
Frugal Living Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the consumption of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance. In behavioral science, frugality has been ...
'' by
Sara Noel Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...
* ''
Dr. Gott Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
'' by
Peter Gott Peter Gott (22 May 1653 – 16 April 1712), of Stanmer, Sussex and Hatton Garden, London, was an English ironmaster and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1690 and 1712. Early life Gott was the eldest son of Samuel Gott, iron ...
* ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
'' * ''The
Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools ...
Adviser'' * ''
The Housing Scene ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' by
Lew Sichelman Lew or LEW may refer to: People * Lew (given name) * Lew (surname) Places * Lew, Oxfordshire, England * River Lew, in Devon, England Transport * LEW Hennigsdorf, a rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany * Lew (locomotive), a British narro ...
*
Dick Kleiner Richard Arthur Kleiner (March 9, 1921 – February 13, 2002) was an American columnist whose breezy question-and-answer column, "Ask Dick Kleiner," about Hollywood celebrities appeared in hundreds of newspapers across the country. He was also an au ...
*
Morton Kondracke Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American political commentator and journalist. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist on '' The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twe ...
* Donald Lambro *
Kathryn Jean Lopez Kathryn Jean Lopez (born March 22, 1976) is an American conservative columnist who is nationally syndicated by the United Feature Syndicate. She is also the former editor and currently an editor-at-large of ''National Review Online''. Her nicknam ...
*
Gene Lyons Gene Lyons is an American political columnist who has defended former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Writing He and Joe Conason co-authored '' The Hunting of the President: The 10 Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton'', a documentary ...
*
Harvey Mackay Harvey Mackay (born October 24, 1932) is an American businessman, author and syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. His weekly column gives career and inspirational advice and is featured in over 100 newspapers. Mackay has authored seven ''N ...
* Mary Mitchell * ''Miss Manners'' by
Judith Martin Judith Martin (née Perlman; born September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American columnist, author, and etiquette authority. Early life and career Martin is the daughter of Helen and Jacob Perlman. Her father ...
* '' NEA Bridge'' by Phillip Alder * ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
'' * '' NextSteps'' by Jan L. Warner and Jan K. Collins * ''
On Nutrition On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * On (EP), ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * On (Echobelly album), ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * On (Gary Glitter album), ''On'' (Gary Glit ...
'' by Ed Blonz * ''On Religion'' by Terry Mattingly * '' Parent-to-Parent'' by Betsy Flagler * ''Parenting'' by the staff of Parenting Magazine *
Cokie Roberts Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Cokie" Roberts (née Boggs; December 27, 1943 – September 17, 2019) was an American journalist and author. Her career included decades as a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PB ...
and
Steven V. Roberts Steven V. Roberts (born February 11, 1943) is an American journalist, writer, and political commentator. Life and career Roberts was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, and graduated from Bayonne High School.Rahman, Sarah"Author Steven V. Roberts pays ...
* ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...
'' * ''Sense & Sensitivity'' by
Harriette Cole Harriette Cole, is a life stylist, author, nationally syndicated advice columnist, motivational speaker, media trainer, magazine editor, lifestyle writer, wife and mother. Early life Cole was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the middle of three sis ...
* ''Smart Money'' by Bruce Williams * ''
Soap Opera Review Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...
'' by
Nancy Johnson (columnist) Nancy Elizabeth Lee Johnson (born January 5, 1935) is an American lobbyist and politician from the state of Connecticut. Johnson was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007, representing the 6th d ...
* ''Starlight'' * '' Sweet Land of Liberty'' by
Nat Hentoff Nathan Irving Hentoff (June 10, 1925 – January 7, 2017) was an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media. Hentoff was a columnist for ''The Village Voice'' from 1958 to 2009. Fo ...
* ''
Talking Money Talking may refer to: * Speech, the product of the action of ''to talk'' * Communication by spoken words; conversation or discussion Other uses * "Talking" (The Rifles song), 2007 * "Talking" (A Flock of Seagulls song), 1983 * "Talking", a son ...
'' with
Jean Chatzky Jean Sherman Chatzky (born September 7, 1964) is an American journalist, a personal finance columnist, financial editor of NBC’s ''TODAY'' show, AARP’s personal finance ambassador, and the founder and CEO of the multimedia company HerMoney. E ...
* ''
The Village Idiot ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' by Jim Mullen * ''
Tune in Tomorrow ''Tune in Tomorrow'' is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Jon Amiel. It is based on the 1977 Mario Vargas Llosa novel '' Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter'', and was released under that same title in many countries. Relocated from the nove ...
'' by
Nancy Reichardt Nancy M. Reichardt is an American former nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, who wrote for United Feature Syndicate. Her column, ''Tune in Tomorrow'', was published three times a week in over 200 newspapers across the United States and Cana ...
* '' Tune in Tonight'' by Kevin McDonough *
Diana West Diana West (born November 8, 1961) is a formerly nationally syndicated conservative American columnist and author. Until 2014, she wrote a weekly column which frequently dealt with controversial subjects such as Islam and was syndicated by Univer ...
* '' Win, Lose & Drew'' * ''
World Almanac ''The World Almanac and Book of Facts'' is a US-published reference work, an almanac conveying information about such subjects as world changes, tragedies, and sports feats. It has been published yearly from 1868 to 1875, and again every year sinc ...
Databank'' * ''
You Be the Critic In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
'' by Bob Habes * ''
Your Birthday In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Pro ...
'' by Stella Wilder * ''
Your Stars This Week In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Pro ...
'' by Stella Wilder *
Byron York Byron York (born December 5, 1955) is an American conservative correspondent, pundit, columnist, and author. Education York holds a B.A. from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. Career Yor ...


Syndicated puzzles

* Today's Daily Crossword * Today's Sunday Crossword *
KenKen KenKen and KenDoku are trademarked names for a style of arithmetic and logic puzzle invented in 2004 by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto,
*
Sudoku Sudoku (; ja, 数独, sūdoku, digit-single; originally called Number Place) is a logic-based, combinatorics, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. In classic Sudoku, the objective is to fill a 9 × 9 grid with digits so that each co ...
*
Kakuro Kakuro or Kakkuro or Kakoro ( ja, カックロ) is a kind of logic puzzle that is often referred to as a mathematical transliteration of the crossword. Kakuro puzzles are regular features in many math-and-logic puzzle publications across the worl ...


Licensed properties

* ''
El Chavo EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), America ...
'' * Precious Moments *
Raggedy Ann Raggedy Ann is a character (arts), character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle ...


References


External links

* — redirects to Andrews McMeel Syndication {{DEFAULTSORT:United Feature Syndicate Comic strip syndicates Former E. W. Scripps Company subsidiaries Mass media companies of the United States News agencies based in the United States American journalism organizations Technical communication Mass media companies established in 1978 2011 disestablishments in the United States