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The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...








daily
tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper format characterized by its compact size, smaller than a broadsheet. The term originates from the 19th century, when the London-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. used the term to de ...
published in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost.com; PageSix.com, a gossip site; and Decider.com, an entertainment site. The newspaper was founded in 1801 by
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
, a
Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...
and
Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...
who was appointed the nation's first
Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
by
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
. The newspaper became a respected
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...
in the 19th century, under the name ''New York Evening Post'' (originally ''New-York Evening Post''). Its most notable 19th-century editor was
William Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the '' New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poe ...
. In the mid-20th century, the newspaper was owned by
Dorothy Schiff Dorothy Schiff (March 11, 1903 – August 30, 1989) was an American businesswoman who was the owner and then publisher of the ''New York Post'' for nearly 40 years. She was a granddaughter of financier Jacob Schiff. Schiff was interested in soc ...
, who developed the tabloid format that has been used since by the newspaper. In 1976,
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
's
News Corp The second and current incarnation of News Corporation, doing business as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company was formed on ...
bought the ''Post'' for US$30.5 million (equivalent to $ in ). As of 2023, the ''New York Post'' is the fourth-largest newspaper by print circulation among all U.S. newspapers.


History


19th century

The ''Post'' was founded by
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
with about US$10,000 () from a group of investors in the autumn of 1801 as the ''New-York Evening Post'', a
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...
. Hamilton's co-investors included other New York members of the
Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservativeMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government under Alexander Hamilton from 17 ...
, including
Robert Troup Robert Troup (1757 – January 14, 1832) was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York ...
and
Oliver Wolcott Oliver Wolcott Sr. ( ; November 20, 1726 December 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father and politician. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Connecticut, ...
who were dismayed by the election of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
as
U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
and the rise in popularity of the
Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...
.Emery & Emery At a meeting held at Archibald Gracie's weekend villa, which is now
Gracie Mansion Gracie Mansion (also Archibald Gracie Mansion) is the official residence of the mayor of New York City. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street in the Yorkville, Manhattan, Yorkville neighborhood of ...
, Hamilton recruited the first investors for the new paper. Hamilton chose William Coleman as his first editor. The most notable 19th-century ''Evening Post'' editor was the poet and
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
William Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the '' New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poe ...
. So well respected was the ''Evening Post'' under Bryant's editorship, it received praise from the English philosopher
John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...
, in 1864. In addition to literary and drama reviews, William Leggett began to write political editorials for the ''Post''. Leggett's espoused a fierce opposition to
central banking Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and support for the organization of labor unions. He was a member of the Equal Rights Party. In 1831, he became a co-owner and editor of the ''Post'', eventually working as sole editor of the newspaper while Bryant traveled in Europe in 1834 and 1835. One of the co-owners of the paper during this period was
John Bigelow John Bigelow Sr. (November 25, 1817 – December 19, 1911) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and historian who edited the complete works of Benjamin Franklin and the first autobiography of Franklin taken from Franklin's previously lost original ...
. Born in Malden-on-Hudson, New York, Bigelow graduated in 1835 from Union College, where he was a member of the
Sigma Phi The Sigma Phi Society () is an American college fraternity. Established in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York, it was the second Greek letter Fraternities and sororities, fraternal organization founded in the United States. Sigma Phi ...
Society and the Philomathean Society, and was admitted to the bar in 1838. From 1849 to 1861, he was one of the editors and co-owners of the ''Evening Post''. Another owner with Bryan and Bigelow was Isaac Henderson.Mayer-Sommer, Alan P. (May 2010).
o many controls; so little control: The case of Isaac Henderson, Navy Agent at New York, 1861-4
". '' Accounting History''. 15 (2): 173–198. doi:10.1177/1032373209359324.
ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...
1032-3732. S2CID 155059092. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
In 1877, this led to the involvement of his son Isaac Henderson Jr., who became the paper's publisher, stockholder, and member of its board, just five years after graduating from college." Isaac Austin Henderson", ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', vol. Volume 7, 1913, retrieved May 16, 2022 Henderson Sr.'s 33-year tenure with the ''Evening Post'' ended in 1879, when it was learned that he had defrauded Bryant the entire time. Henderson Jr. sold his interest in the newspaper in 1881. In 1881,
Henry Villard Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was a German-American journalist and financier who was an influential leader and the sixth president of the Northern Pacific Railway (1881–1884) which completed its trans-continental route d ...
took control of the ''Evening Post'' and ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', which became the ''Post''s weekly edition. With this acquisition, the paper was managed by the triumvirate of
Carl Schurz Carl Christian Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German-American revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He migrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent ...
,
Horace White Horace White (October 7, 1865 – November 27, 1943) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York. He was the 37th governor of New York from October 6, 1910, to December 31, 1910. Life He attended Syracuse Central High ...
, and Edwin L. Godkin. When Schurz left the paper in 1883, Godkin became editor-in-chief. White became editor-in-chief in 1899, and remained in that role until his retirement in 1903. In 1897, both publications passed to the management of Villard's son,
Oswald Garrison Villard Oswald Garrison Villard (March 13, 1872 – October 1, 1949) was an American journalist and editor of the ''New York Evening Post.'' He was a civil rights activist, and along with his mother, Fanny Villard, a founding member of the NAACP. In ...
, a founding member of both the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
and the
American Anti-Imperialist League The American Anti-Imperialist League was an organization established on June 15, 1898, to battle the American annexation of the Philippines as an insular area. The anti-imperialists opposed forced expansion, believing that imperialism violated t ...
.


20th century

Villard sold the newspaper in 1918 following widespread allegations of pro-
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
sympathies during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
hurt the newspaper's circulation. The new owner was Thomas Lamont, a senior partner in the
Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
firm of J.P. Morgan & Co. Unable to stem the paper's financial losses, he sold it to a
consortium A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...
of 34 financial and reform political leaders, headed by
Edwin Francis Gay Edwin Francis Gay (October 27, 1867 – February 8, 1946) was an American economist, professor of economic history, and the first dean of Harvard Business School.Morgen Witzel (2004) "Edwin Gay (1867-1946)" in: ''Fifty key figures in management'' ...
, dean of the
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
, whose members included
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
. In 1924,
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Cyrus H. K. Curtis Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis (June 18, 1850June 7, 1933) was an American publisher of magazines and newspapers, including the ''Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''The Saturday Evening Post''.Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Busine ...
, publisher of the ''
Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century ...
'', purchased the ''Evening Post'' and briefly turned it into a non-sensational tabloid nine years later, in 1933. In 1928,
Wilella Waldorf Wilella Louise Waldorf (November 22, 1899 – March 12, 1946) was an American drama critic and newspaper editor. Early life Wilella Louise Waldorf was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, the daughter of John Maurice Waldorf and Carrie Thr ...
became drama editor at the ''Evening Post''. She was one of the first women to hold an editorial role at the newspaper, During her time at the ''Evening Post'', she was the only female first-string critic on a New York newspaper. She was preceded by Clara Savage Littledale, the first woman reporter ever hired by the ''Post'' and the editor of the woman's page in 1914.Littledale, Clara Savage. Edited by Barbara Sicherman, 1934– and Carol Hurd Green, 1935–; in Notable American Women: The Modern Period (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980), 458–459 In 1934,
J. David Stern Julius David Stern (April 1, 1886 – October 10, 1971) was an American newspaper publisher, best known as the liberal Democratic publisher of ''The Philadelphia Record'' from 1928 to 1947. He published other newspapers including the ''New York P ...
purchased the paper, changed its name to the ''New York Post'', and restored its broadsheet size and liberal perspective. For four months of that same year, future
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
from
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
Ernest Gruening Ernest Henry Gruening ( ; February 6, 1887 – June 26, 1974) was an American journalist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gruening was the governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from A ...
was an editor of the paper. In 1939,
Dorothy Schiff Dorothy Schiff (March 11, 1903 – August 30, 1989) was an American businesswoman who was the owner and then publisher of the ''New York Post'' for nearly 40 years. She was a granddaughter of financier Jacob Schiff. Schiff was interested in soc ...
purchased the paper. Her husband
George Backer George Backer Jr. (January 18, 1902 – May 1, 1974) was a Jewish-American playwright, novelist, journalist and politician who published the ''New York Post'' from 1939 to 1942 and served on the New York City Council from 1938 to 1939, representin ...
was named editor and publisher. Her second editor and third husband Ted Thackrey became co-publisher and co-editor with Schiff in 1942. Together, they recast the newspaper into its modern-day tabloid format. In 1945, ''
The Bronx Home News ''The Bronx Home News'' (originally ''The Home News'') was a newspaper from The Bronx. History ''The Bronx Home News'' was originally known as ''The Home News.'' It was founded in 1907 by James O'Flaherty, Jr. with its initial publication on Ja ...
'' merged with it. In 1949,
James Wechsler James Arthur Wechsler (October 31, 1915 – September 11, 1983) was an American journalist who worked as a newspaper columnist, Washington bureau chief, editor-in-chief, and editorial page editor of The ''New York Post''. He was a prominent vo ...
became editor of the paper, running both the news and the editorial pages. In 1961, he turned over the news section to Paul Sann and stayed on as editorial page editor until 1980. Under Schiff's tenure the ''Post'' was seen to have liberal tilt, supporting trade unions and social welfare, and featured some of the most popular columnists of the time, such as
Joseph Cookman Joseph Cookman (February 6, 1899 – August 12, 1944) was an American journalist, critic and a founder of The Newspaper Guild. Life and career Early life Born in 1899, in Batley, England, Joseph was the oldest of three children born to John ...
, Drew Pearson,
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
,
Max Lerner Max Lerner (December 20, 1902 – June 5, 1992) was a Russia-born American journalist and educator known for his syndicated column. Background Maxwell Alan Lerner was born on December 20, 1902, in Minsk, then in the Russian Empire, the son of B ...
,
Murray Kempton James Murray Kempton (December 16, 1917 – May 5, 1997) was an American journalist and Advocacy journalism, social and political commentator. He won a National Book Award in 1974 List of winners of the National Book Award#Current, (category, "Co ...
,
Pete Hamill William Peter Hamill (June 24, 1935August 5, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and editor. During his career as a New York City journalist, he was described as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavo ...
, and
Eric Sevareid Arnold Eric Sevareid (November 26, 1912 – July 9, 1992) was an American author and CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents who were hired by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and nicknamed " Murr ...
, theatre critic Richard Watts Jr., and gossip columnist Earl Wilson. In November 1976, it was announced that Australian
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
had bought the ''Post'' from Schiff with the intention that Schiff would be retained as a consultant for five years. In 2005, it was reported that Murdoch bought the newspaper for US$30.5 million. The ''Post'' at this point was the only surviving afternoon daily in New York City and its circulation under Schiff had grown by two-thirds, particularly after the failure of the competing ''
World Journal Tribune The ''New York World Journal Tribune'' (''WJT'') was an evening daily newspaper published in New York City from September 1966 until May 1967. The ''World Journal Tribune'' represented an attempt to save the heritages of several historic New Y ...
''; however, the rising cost of operating an afternoon daily in a city with worsening daytime traffic congestion, combined with mounting competition from expanded local radio and TV news cut into the ''Post''s profitability, though it made money from 1949 until Schiff's final year of ownership, when it lost $500,000. The paper has lost money ever since. In late October 1995, the ''Post'' announced plans to change its Monday through Saturday publication schedule and begin issuing a Sunday edition, which it last published briefly in 1989. On April 14, 1996, the ''Post'' delivered its new Sunday edition at the cost of 50 cents per paper by keeping its size to 120 pages. The amount, significantly less than Sunday editions from ''
The New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format, and rea ...
'' and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', was part of the ''Post''s efforts "to find a niche in the nation's most competitive newspaper market". Because of the institution of federal regulations limiting media cross-ownership after Murdoch's purchase of WNEW-TV, which is now
WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the Flagship (broadcasting), flagship of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secauc ...
, and four other stations from
Metromedia Metromedia, Inc. (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio station, radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in ...
to launch the
Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...
, Murdoch was forced to sell the paper for $37.6 million in 1988 (equivalent to $ in ) to Peter S. Kalikow, a real-estate magnate with no experience in the media industry. In 1988, the ''Post'' hired Jane Amsterdam, founding editor of '' Manhattan, inc.'', as its first female editor, and within six months the paper had toned down the sensationalist headlines. Within a year, Amsterdam was forced out by Kalikow, who reportedly told her "credible doesn't sell...Your big scoops are great, but they don't sell more papers." In 1993, after Kalikow declared bankruptcy, the paper was temporarily managed by Steven Hoffenberg, a financier who later pleaded guilty to
securities A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any for ...
fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
, and for two weeks by
Abe Hirschfeld Abraham Jacob Hirschfeld (December 20, 1919 – August 9, 2005) was an American real estate investor, Broadway producer and political candidate from New York City. He was the owner of several buildings in Manhattan. He served as treasurer for the ...
, who made his fortune building parking garages. Following a staff revolt against the Hoffenberg-Hirschfeld partnership, which included publication of an issue whose front page featured the iconic masthead picture of founder
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
with a single teardrop running down his cheek, the ''Post'' was again purchased in 1993 by Murdoch's News Corporation. This came about after numerous political officials, including Democratic governor of New York
Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
, persuaded the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
to grant Murdoch a permanent waiver from the cross-ownership rules that had forced him to sell the paper five years earlier. Without this FCC ruling, the paper would have shut down.


21st century

In December 2012, Murdoch announced that Jesse Angelo had been appointed publisher. Various branches of Murdoch's media groups,
21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...
's
Endemol Shine North America Endemol Shine North America (stylized as EndemolShine NorthAmerica) is the American division of Banijay Entertainment that was founded on March 15, 2012, as a merger of Shine Americas, Shine USA, and Reveille Productions. Endemol Shine North Ame ...
, and
News Corp The second and current incarnation of News Corporation, doing business as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company was formed on ...
's ''New York Post'' created a ''Page Six TV'' nightly gossip show based on and named after the Post's gossip section. A test run in July would occur on
Fox Television Stations Fox Television Stations, LLC (stylized as FOX TV STATIONS; also known as FTS) is a group of television stations in the United States owned-and-operated by Fox Corporation. It owns LiveNOW from Fox, Fox Local, and Fox Soul. It also oversees ...
. The show garnered the highest ratings of a nationally syndicated entertainment newsmagazine in a decade when it debuted in 2017. With ''Page Six TV''s success, the ''New York Post'' formed New York Post Entertainment, a scripted and unscripted television entertainment division, in July 2018 with Troy Searer as president. In 2017, the ''New York Post'' was reported to be the preferred newspaper of
U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, who maintains frequent contact with its owner Murdoch. The ''Post'' promoted Trump's celebrity since at least the 1980s. In October 2020, the ''Post'' endorsed Trump for re-election, citing his "promises made, promises kept" policy. Weeks after Trump was defeated and sought to overturn the election results, the ''Post'' published a front-page editorial, asking Trump to "stop the insanity", stating that he was "cheering for an undemocratic coup", writing, "If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down, that will be how you are remembered. Not as a revolutionary, but as the anarchist holding the match." The ''Post'' characterized Trump attorney
Sidney Powell Sidney Katherine Powell (born May 1, 1955) is an American attorney and former federal prosecutor. In August 2023, she was indicted along with Donald Trump and eighteen others in the Georgia election case. In October 2023, she pleaded guilty ...
as a "crazy person", and his former national security advisor
Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born 24 December 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 24th U.S. national security advisor for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports tha ...
's suggestion to declare martial law as "tantamount to treason." In January 2021, Keith Poole, a top editor at ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', another Murdoch-owned tabloid, was appointed as the editor in chief of the ''New York Post'' Group. Around the same time, at least eight journalists had left the paper. In January 2025,
Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...
released the ''New York Post'' documentary ''New York Post Presents: Luigi Mangione Monster or Martyr?''


Content, coverage and criticism

The ''Post'' has been criticized since the beginning of Murdoch's ownership for
sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emoti ...
, blatant
advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...
, and
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...
. In 1980, the ''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...
'' stated that the "''New York Post'' is no longer merely a journalistic problem. It is a social problem—a force for evil."''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...
'', volume 18, number 5 (Jan/Feb 1980), pp. 22–23.
The ''Post'' has been accused of contorting its news coverage to suit Murdoch's business needs, in particular avoiding subjects which could be unflattering to the government of the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, where Murdoch has invested heavily in satellite television. In a 2019 article in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'',
Ken Auletta Kenneth B. Auletta (born April 23, 1942) is an American author, a political columnist for the New York Daily News, and media critic for ''The New Yorker''. Early life and education The son of an Italian American father and a Jewish American mot ...
wrote that Murdoch "doesn't hesitate to use the ''Post'' to belittle his business opponents", and went on to say that Murdoch's support for Edward I. Koch while he was running for mayor of New York "spilled over onto the news pages of the ''Post'', with the paper regularly publishing glowing stories about Koch and sometimes savage accounts of his four primary opponents." According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'',
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
's campaign team credited Murdoch and the ''Post'' for his victory in New York in the
1980 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 1980. In a landslide victory, the Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of former California governor Ronald Reagan and form ...
. Reagan later "waived a prohibition against owning a television station and a newspaper in the same market", allowing Murdoch to continue to control the ''New York Post'' and ''
The Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...
'' while expanding into television. In 1997, ''Post'' executive editor Steven D. Cuozzo responded to criticism by saying that the ''Post'' "broke the elitist media stranglehold on the national agenda." In a 2004 survey conducted by
Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
, the ''Post'' was rated the least-credible major news outlet in New York, and the only news outlet to receive more responses calling it "not credible" than credible (44% not credible to 39% credible). The ''Post'' commonly publishes news reports based entirely on reporting from other sources without independent corroboration. In January 2021, the paper forbade the use of
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
,
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', and ''The New York Times'' as sole sources for such stories. Susan Mulcahy and Frank DiGiacomo's 2024 history was titled "''Paper of Wreckage''" after staffers' nickname for the ''Post'', which was a pun on the term '
paper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large newspaper circulation, circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and i ...
'.


Style

Murdoch imported the
tabloid journalism Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism, which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as a half broadsheet. The size became associated with sensationalism, an ...
style of many of his Australian and British newspapers, such as ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', which remains one of the highest selling daily newspapers in the United Kingdom. This style was typified by the ''Post''s famous headlines such as "Headless body in topless bar" (written by Vincent Musetto). In its 35th-anniversary edition, ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' magazine listed this as one of the greatest headlines. It also has five other ''Post'' headlines in its "Greatest Tabloid Headlines" list. The ''Post'' has also been criticized for incendiary front-page headlines, such as one referring to the co-chairmen of the
Iraq Study Group The Iraq Study Group (ISG), also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission, was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War an ...
James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House chief of staff and 67th United States secretary ...
and
Lee Hamilton Lee Herbert Hamilton (born April 20, 1931) is an American politician and lawyer from Indiana. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives and a former member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. A member of the ...
—as " surrender monkeys", and another on the murder of landlord
Menachem Stark Menachem ("Max") Stark (July 15, 1974 – January 3, 2014) was an American real estate developer whose badly burned body was found smoldering in a dumpster outside a gas station in Great Neck, New York. The cousins Erskine Felix, Kendel Felix, ...
reading "
Slumlord A slumlord (or slum landlord) is a slang term for a landlord, generally an absentee landlord with more than one property, who attempts to maximize profit by minimizing spending on property maintenance, and usually rents to tenants that they can ...
found burned in dumpster. Who didn't want him dead?"


Page Six

The Post's influential gossip section Page Six was created in 1977 by
James Brady James Scott Brady (August 29, 1940 – August 4, 2014) was an American public official who served as assistant to the U.S. president and the 17th White House Press Secretary, serving under President Ronald Reagan. In 1981, John Hinckley J ...
. It was famous for its
blind item A blind item is a news story, typically in a gossip column, in which the details of the matter are reported while the identities of the people involved are not revealed. The invention of the blind item is credited to William d'Alton Mann (1839&nd ...
s. Beginning in 1985, columnist
Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...
edited Page Six for 25 years before British journalist Emily Smith replaced him in 2009. In June 2022, Smith was replaced by her deputy, Ian Mohr. February 2006 saw the debut of ''Page Six Magazine'', distributed free inside the paper. In September 2007, it started to be distributed weekly in the Sunday edition of the paper. In January 2009, publication of ''Page Six Magazine'' was cut to four times a year. Beginning with the 2017–18 television season, a daily syndicated series known as ''Page Six TV'' came to air, produced by
20th Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...
, which was part of the
21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...
side of Rupert Murdoch's holdings, and
Endemol Shine North America Endemol Shine North America (stylized as EndemolShine NorthAmerica) is the American division of Banijay Entertainment that was founded on March 15, 2012, as a merger of Shine Americas, Shine USA, and Reveille Productions. Endemol Shine North Ame ...
. The show was originally hosted by comedian
John Fugelsang John Joseph Fugelsang (born September 3, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, writer, television host, political commentator and television personality. Early life and education Fugelsang was born on Long Island, New York. Of Danish, German, ...
, with contributions from Page Six and ''Post'' writers (including Carlos Greer), along with regular panelists Elizabeth Wagmeister from ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' and
Bevy Smith Beverly "Bevy" Smith (born November 2, 1966) is an American television personality and business woman. She is best known for her work as a co-host on Bravo's fashion-themed talk show '' Fashion Queens''. Smith is the creator of "Dinner with Bevy", ...
. In March 2018, Fugelsang left the show, with the expectation that a new host would be named, though by the end of the season, it was announced that Wagmeister, Greer and Smith would be retained as equal co-hosts. In April 2019, it was confirmed that the series would end after May 2019; by then, it was last in average viewership out of all U.S. syndicated newsmagazine programs, behind the similar tabloid-inspired program ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
TV''.


Erroneous reporting and defamation cases arising from bombings

Richard Jewell Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atl ...
, a security guard wrongly suspected of being the Centennial Olympic Park bomber, sued the ''Post'' in 1998, alleging that the newspaper had libeled him in several articles, headlines, photographs, and
editorial cartoon A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...
s. U.S. District Judge
Loretta Preska Loretta A. Preska (born January 7, 1949) is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Born in Albany, Preska received law degrees from Ford ...
largely denied the ''Post''s motion to dismiss, allowing the suit to proceed. The ''Post'' subsequently settled the case for an undisclosed sum. In several stories on the day of the 2013
Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing, sometimes referred to as simply the Boston bombing, was an Islamist domestic terrorist attack that took place during the 117th annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarna ...
, the ''Post'' inaccurately reported that twelve people had died, and that a Saudi national had been taken into custody as a suspect, which was denied by the
Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1854, the BPD is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. It is also the 20th largest law enforce ...
. Three days later, on April 18, the ''Post'' featured a full-page cover photo of two young men at the Boston marathon with the headline " Bag Men" (a term that implies criminality) and erroneously claimed they were being sought by police. The men, Salaheddin Barhoum and Yassine Zaimi, were not considered suspects, and the ''Post'' was heavily criticized for the apparent accusation. Then-editor
Col Allan Colin "Col" Allan (born 1953) is an Australian journalist. He served as the editor in chief of ''The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), The Sunday Telegraph'' of Sydney, Australia and served as e ...
defended the story, saying they had not referred to the men as "suspects". The two men later sued the ''Post'' for
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, and the suit was settled in 2014 on undisclosed terms.


Accusations of racism

In 1989, the ''Post'' described the five black and Latino teenagers arrested following the rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park as coming "from a world of crack, welfare, guns, knives, indifference, and ignorance ..a land of no fathers", and having set out "to smash, hurt, rob, stomp, rape" people who were "rich" and "white". The teenagers' convictions were later overturned after the confession of a serial rapist, which was confirmed with DNA evidence. In 2009, the ''Post'' ran a cartoon by Sean Delonas of a white police officer saying to another white police officer who has just shot a
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
on the street: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next
stimulus bill In economics, stimulus refers to attempts to use monetary policy or fiscal policy (or stabilization policy in general) to stimulate the economy. Stimulus can also refer to monetary policies such as lowering interest rates and quantitative easin ...
." The cartoon dually referred to U.S. president Obama and to the recent rampage of
Travis Travis may refer to: People and fictional characters *Travis (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Travis (surname), a list of people Places in the United States *Travis, Staten Island, a neighborhood *Travis Air Force Base, a ...
, a former chimpanzee actor. It was criticized as
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
,Roland S. Martin
Commentary: NY Post cartoon is racist and careless
, CNN, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
with civil rights activist
Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptists, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rig ...
calling the cartoon "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys." The
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
song "A Letter to the ''New York Post''" from their album '' Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black'' is a complaint about what they believed to be negative and inaccurate coverage Black people received from the paper. In 2019, the ''Post'' displayed an image of the World Trade Center in flames targeting Rep.
Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...
, one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress. The image had been displayed due to Ms. Omar's widely criticized quote "Some people did something" which was viewed by many as insensitive and minimizing the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. The Yemeni American Merchant Association announced a formal boycott of the paper and ten of the most prominent Yemeni bodega owners in New York agreed to stop selling the paper. As of June 2019, the boycott had extended to over 900 individual stores. Yemeni-Americans own about half of the 10,000 bodegas in New York City.


Hunter Biden laptop story

On October 14, 2020, three weeks before the
2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
, the ''Post'' published a front-page story purporting to reveal "smoking gun" emails recovered from a
laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
abandoned by
Hunter Biden Robert Hunter Biden (born February4, 1970) is an American attorney and businessman. He is the second son of former president Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden was a founding board member of BHR Partners, a Chine ...
at a computer repair store in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. The only sources named in the story were Trump personal attorney
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
and strategy advisor
Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...
. The story came under heavy criticism from other news sources and anonymous reporters at the ''Post'' itself for "flimsy" reporting, including questions about the reliability of its sourcing and the lack of outreach to either Hunter Biden or the
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
campaign for pre-publication comment. In October 2020, over fifty former U.S. intelligence officials signed an open letter stating that they were "deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role" in the story, but emphasized that "we do not know if the emails... are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement." The
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...
John Ratcliffe John Lee Ratcliffe (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025. He previously served as the sixth director of national intelligence from ...
said during a
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
interview that "the intelligence community doesn't believe that he emails originated from Russian disinformationbecause there is no intelligence that supports that." Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, had previously made public assertions that contradicted professional intelligence assessments. The
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
took possession of the laptop in late 2019 and reported that they had "nothing to add" to Ratcliffe's remarks concerning Russian disinformation. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported days after the ''Post'' story that "no concrete evidence has emerged that the laptop contains Russian disinformation." Amid mounting pressure, the FBI wrote to U.S. Senator
Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Rep ...
, suggesting it had not found any Russian disinformation on the laptop. It was unclear what
Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
officials knew about the FBI investigation at the time.
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
reported that the laptop was seized as part of an investigation into money laundering, but did not make clear if the investigation involved Hunter Biden. On December 9, 2020, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that investigators had initially examined possible money laundering by Hunter Biden but did not find evidence to justify further investigation. Following the 2016 election, social media companies were criticized for allowing false political information to proliferate on their platforms, including from Russian intelligence, suggesting it may have assisted Trump's election.
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
initially limited the spread of the 2020 ''Post'' story on their platforms, citing supposed policies restricting the sharing of hacked material and personal information; Twitter also temporarily suspended the ''Post'' account. This decision proved controversial, with many critics, including Republican senator
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
, deriding it as censorship. NPR reported that Twitter initially declined to comment how it reached this decision or what evidence it had supporting this. ''The New York Times'' initially reported that the story had been pitched to other outlets, including Fox News, which declined to publish it due to concerns over its reliability. The ''Times'' also reported that two writers at the ''Post'' declined to have their names attached to the story, and ultimately the story only listed two bylines, Gabrielle Fonrouge, who "had little to do with the reporting or writing of the article" and was unaware of her byline prior to the story's publication, and Emma-Jo Morris, a former producer for
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
's ''
Hannity ''Hannity'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative television political Talk show, talk program on Fox News hosted by Sean Hannity. Episodes air live at 9:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, while episodes that ai ...
'' who had no prior bylines with the ''Post''. In response to the concerns about the veracity of the article, retired ''Post'' editor-in-chief and current advisor
Col Allan Colin "Col" Allan (born 1953) is an Australian journalist. He served as the editor in chief of ''The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), The Sunday Telegraph'' of Sydney, Australia and served as e ...
responded in an email to the ''New York Times'' that "the senior editors at ''The Post'' made the decision to publish the Biden files after several days' hard work established its merit." Giuliani said he gave the story to the ''Post'' because "either nobody else would take it, or if they took it, they would spend all the time they could to try to contradict it before they put it out." The accuracy of the Hunter Biden laptop story resulted in increased scrutiny of Twitter and Facebook limiting the spread of the story by conservatives, who argued that their actions "proves Big Tech's bias". On October 30, 2020,
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
reported, "no evidence has emerged that the documents are the product of Russian disinformation, as some experts initially suggested, but many questions remain about how the materials got into the hands of Trump's lawyer
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
, who had met with Russian agents in his effort to dig up dirt on Biden." On March 15, 2021,
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
reported that Giuliani and other Trump allies met with Ukrainian lawmaker
Andrii Derkach Andrii Leonidovych Derkach (; born 19 August 1967), also known as Andrei Leonidovich Derkach (Russian: Андрей Леонидович Деркач) is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician and businessman who had been a member of the Ver ...
, who the U.S. government later assessed was a longtime Russian intelligence agent, sanctioning him for distributing disinformation about Joe Biden. On March 27, 2022, '' Vox'' reported that no evidence had emerged "that the laptop's leak was a Russian plot." In March 2022, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Washington Post'' confirmed that some of the emails were authentic. In April 2022, the editorial board of ''The Washington Post'' wrote the Biden laptop story provided "an opportunity for a reckoning" by American media to ensure "accurate and relevant" stories are covered. They noted that: On April 28, 2022, Joan Donovan, the research director of the
Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is a Harvard Kennedy School research center that explores the intersection and impact of media, politics and public policy in theory and practice. Among other activities, the center or ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, said that "This is arguably the most well-known story the ''New York Post'' has ever published and it endures as a story because it was initially suppressed by social media companies and jeered by politicians and pundits alike".


Other controversies

In 1997, a national news story concerning Rebecca Sealfon's victory in the
Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee, formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and often referred to as the National Spelling Bee or simply “the Spelling Bee” in the United States, is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. ...
circulated. Sealfon was sponsored by the '' Daily News'', a direct in-market competitor. The ''Post'' published a picture of her but altered the photograph to remove the name of the ''Daily News'' as printed on a placard she was wearing. In 2004, the ''Post'' ran a full-page cover photo of 19-year-old
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
student Diana Chien jumping to her death from the twenty-fourth story of a building. University spokesman John Beckman commented "... seems to show an appalling lack of judgment and insensitivity to the young woman's family and a disregard for the feelings of students at NYU". In 2012, the ''Post'' was criticized for running a photograph of a man struggling to climb back up onto a subway platform as a train approached, along with the headline "DOOMED". Facing questions over why he did not help the man, the photographer claimed he was not strong enough and had been attempting to use the flash on his camera to alert the driver of the oncoming train. In December 2020, the ''Post'' published a story outing an
emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and som ...
who made additional income from posting explicit photographs of herself to the subscription website
OnlyFans OnlyFans is an Internet content subscription service based in London, England. The service is widely known for being popular with sex workers who produce pornography, and also hosts other content creators including athletes, musicians, and com ...
. The publication was widely criticized on social media as "
doxxing Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregati ...
someone simply for trying to earn a living." In April 2021, Facebook blocked users from sharing a ''Post'' story about home real estate purchases by
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
co-founder
Patrisse Cullors Patrisse Marie Khan-Cullors Brignac (née Cullors-Brignac; born June 20, 1983) is an American activist, artist, and writer who co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement. Cullors created the hashtag in 2013 and has written and spoken widely abo ...
, saying that it violated its privacy and personal information policy. In response, the ''Post'' argued that it was an arbitrary decision since other newspapers, magazines and websites highlight the real estate purchases of high status individuals.
News Media Alliance The News Media Alliance (formerly known as the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) until 2016;
CEO David Chavern also voiced criticism of the decision, saying in a prepared statement: "There is no balance of power between 'media' and 'Big Tech. In April 2021, the ''Post'' published a false front-page story asserting that copies of a book by vice president
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
were being distributed to migrant children at an intake facility in Long Beach, California. Fox News then published a story about the matter, followed by numerous Republican politicians and pundits commenting on it, in some cases speculating that taxpayers were funding the supposed book handouts for Harris's personal profit. Responding to questions from Fox News correspondent
Peter Doocy Peter James Doocy (born July 21, 1987) is an American senior White House correspondent for Fox News. Early life and education Doocy is the eldest child of Steve Doocy and Kathy (Gerrity) Doocy. His father is a host on the morning show '' Fox ...
, White House press secretary
Jen Psaki Jennifer Rene Psaki (; born December 1, 1978) is an American television political analyst and former government official. A political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations, she served the Biden administration as the ...
expressed no knowledge of the matter; the ''Post'' then published a new story headlined "Psaki has no answers when asked about Harris' book being given to child migrants." Four days after the original publication, the ''Post'' replaced the story with a new version clarifying that just one Harris book had been donated by a community member but maintained that it was an "open-arms gesture by the Biden administration," though there was no evidence of the administration's involvement. Laura Italiano, the author of the story, resigned that day, asserting she had been "ordered" to write it. In October 2022, a rogue employee of the ''Post'' published a series of racist, violent and sexually explicit headlines on its Twitter account. Shortly after these headlines appeared, a spokesperson for the ''Post'' stated that the "vile and reprehensible" headlines were the result of a
hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Hack (Unix video game), ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * .hack (video game series), ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia fran ...
and were immediately removed, and that the incident was under investigation. The spokesperson later stated that "the unauthorized conduct was committed by an employee, and the employee has been terminated." In May 2023, amid reports that a wave of migrants might soon cross the American southern border, the ''Post'' ran a front-page story stating that 20 homeless veterans had been ordered to vacate
upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
hotels to make room for arriving migrants. Fox News and other conservative outlets sent the story viral, with numerous conservatives expressing outrage at
President Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...
and other Democrats. The story was soon found to have been fabricated by a local veterans advocate. While attending a June 2024 G7 Summit in Italy, G7 leaders watched an exhibition of military parachutists jump from aircraft and land nearby. After the exhibition,
President Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...
stepped away from the group to approach some parachutists to speak and give them a thumbs-up. The ''Post'' tweeted a cropped version of a video that did not show the parachutists, creating a false impression that Biden had wandered off in confusion. The paper ran a full front-page story the next day, asserting "Biden embarrasses US with confused wanderings at world conference."
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
ran a segment on the ''Post'' story, displaying the front-page on air. ''The Washington Post'' factchecker assigned the story Four Pinocchios, designating it as an outright lie. In September 2024, the ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...
'' found that several of the ''New York Post''s stories about Wisconsin politics had been authored by an individual with no clear previous journalism experience and extensive ties to the state's Republican Party. These included two recent 2024 stints completing consulting work for that party; 2023 consulting work for Dan Kelly, a conservative state Supreme Court candidate; and being the campaign manager for a state Assembly campaign in 2024.


Oldest Claim

The ''New York Post'' was established in 1801 by
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
making it the oldest still published daily newspaper in the U.S. However it is not the oldest continuously published paper; as the ''New York Post'' halted publication during strikes in 1958 and in 1978. If this is considered, ''
The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...
'' is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the U.S. The ''
Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...
'' is generally understood to be the oldest newspaper in America, as it was founded in 1764; however, it was founded as a semi-weekly paper and did not begin publishing daily until 1836, 35 years after the ''New York Post'' began doing so.


Operations

The 1906
Old New York Evening Post Building The Old New York Evening Post Building is the former office and printing plant of the ''New York Evening Post'' newspaper located at 20 Vesey Street between Church Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It ...
is a designated landmark. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1977. It occupied the building until 1926 when a new main office for the ''Post'' was established at 75 West Street in the New York Evening Post Building. The building remained in use by the ''Post'' until 1970, it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2000. In 1967, Schiff bought 210 South Street, the former headquarters of the ''
New York Journal American :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...
'', which closed a year earlier. The building became an instantly recognizable symbol for the ''Post''. In 1995, owner
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
relocated the ''Post''s news and business offices to the News Corporation headquarters tower at 1211
Avenue of the Americas Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...
(Sixth Avenue) in midtown Manhattan. The ''Post'' shares this building with
Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...
and ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', which are also owned by Murdoch. Both the ''Post'' and the New York City edition of the ''Journal'' are printed at a state-of-the-art printing plant in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. The
Newspaper and Mail Deliverers Union The Newspaper and Mail Deliverers Union is an independent union for employees of newspapers based in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2009, for the first time in its history, The union affiliated with another, choosing the International B ...
has delivered the newspaper "since the early 1900s."


Website

In 1996, the ''New York Post'' launched an
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
version of the paper.


''Decider''

The ''New York Post'' launched the website ''Decider'' in 2014 to provide recommendations for streaming services. The website's first and only editor-in-chief is Mark Graham. Graham said that this service would "strike a nice balance between visual imagery and the written word, and come from a place of pop culture omniscience." In 2019, Decider signed a deal with app provider ''Reelgood'' to provide Reelgood widget links at the bottom of each review and would channel some advertising revenue to both companies. The value of the deal was not disclosed.


Sales

The daily circulation of the ''Post'' decreased in the final years of the Schiff era from 700,000 around 1967–68, to approximately 517,000 by the time she sold the paper to Murdoch in 1976. Under Murdoch, the ''Post'' launched a morning edition to compete directly with the rival tabloid '' Daily News'' in 1978, prompting the ''Daily News'' to retaliate with a PM edition called ''Daily News Tonight''. But the PM edition suffered the same problems with worsening daytime traffic that the afternoon ''Post'' experienced and the ''Daily News'' ultimately folded ''Tonight'' in 1981. By that time, circulation of the all-day ''Post'' soared to a peak of 962,000, the bulk of the increase attributed to its morning edition (It set a single-day record of 1.1 million on August 11, 1977, with the news of the arrest the night before of
David Berkowitz David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco; June 1, 1953), also known as the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and former U.S. Army soldier who committed a series of stabbings and shootings between 1 ...
, the infamous "Son of Sam" serial killer who terrorized New York for much of that summer). However, the ''Post'' lost so much money that Murdoch decided to shut down the ''Post''s PM edition in 1982, turning the ''Post'' into a morning-only daily. The ''Post'' and the ''Daily News'' have been locked in a bitter circulation war ever since. A resurgence during the first decade of the 21st century saw ''Post'' circulation rise to 724,748 by April 2007, achieved partly by lowering the price from 50 cents to 25 cents. In October 2006, the ''Post'' surpassed the ''Daily News'' in circulation for the first time, only to see the ''Daily News'' overtake its rival a few months later. In 2010, the ''Post''s daily circulation was 525,004, just 10,000 behind the ''Daily News''. , the ''Post'' was the fourth-largest newspaper in the United States by circulation, while the ''Daily News'' was ranked eighth. The ''Post'' has remained unprofitable since Murdoch first purchased it from Dorothy Schiff in 1976, and was on the brink of folding when Murdoch bought it back in 1993, with at least one media report in 2012 indicating that ''Post'' loses up to $70 million a year. One commentator suggested that the ''Post'' cannot become profitable as long as the competing ''Daily News'' survives, and that Murdoch may be trying to force the ''Daily News'' to fold or sell out, leaving the two papers in an intractable
war of attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...
. In September 2022, ''The New York Post'' became profitable, posting a profit for the quarter and year to date. The ''Post'' digital network reached approximately 198 million unique users in June 2022, compared to 123 million in the prior year.


See also

*
Media in New York City New York City has been called the media capital of the world. The media organizations based in New York City are internationally influential and include some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses, biggest record companies, ...


References


Further reading

* Crittle, Simon. ''The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino''. New York: Berkley, 2006. . * Emery, Michael, and Edwin Emery. ''The Press and America''. 7th ed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. * Felix, Antonia, and the editors of ''New York Post''. ''The Post's New York: Celebrating 200 Years of New York City As Seen Through the Pages and Pictures of the New York Post''. New York: HarperResource, 2001. . * Flood, John, and Jim McGough
"People v. Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Union of New York and Vicinity"
. Organized Crime & Political Corruption. Accessed June 5, 2008. * Nardoza, Robert

The United States Attorney's Office: Eastern District of New York press release. July 12, 2006. Accessed June 5, 2008.

Penal Law: A Web. Accessed June 5, 2008. * Robbins, Tom. ttp://www.villagevoice.com/news/0110,robbins,22839,1.html "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union". ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', March 7–13, 2001. Accessed June 5, 2008.


External links

* {{Authority control 1801 establishments in New York (state) Alexander Hamilton Conservative media in the United States Daily newspapers published in New York City News Corporation subsidiaries New Right (United States) Publications established in 1801 Critics of Wikipedia