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

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, from 1888 to 1965 when the paper ceased publishing.

History

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

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

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

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

wire service.

Journalistic impact

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

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

for

Public Service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...

after it successfully exposed

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

involvement in state politics, including corruption between Governor Ed Jackson and Indiana Grand Dragon

D.C. Stephenson David Curtis "Steve" Stephenson (August 21, 1891 – June 28, 1966) was an American Ku Klux Klan leader, convicted rapist and murderer. In 1923, he was appointed Ku Klux Klan titles and vocabulary, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan and head of Kl ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate; however, "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 ...

s find jobs. The competition from the ''

Indianapolis News The ''Indianapolis News'' was an evening newspaper published for 130 years, beginning December 7, 1869, and ending on October 1, 1999. The "Great Hoosier Daily," as it was known, at one time held the largest circulation in the state of Indiana. ...

'' and ''

Indianapolis Star Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County. Indianapolis is situated in the state's central till plain region along the west fork of ...

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

References

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