Memphis Commercial Appeal
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''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, and its surrounding
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
. It is owned by the
Gannett Company Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as severa ...
; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also owned the former afternoon paper, the '' Memphis Press-Scimitar'', which it folded in 1983. The 2016 purchase by Gannett of Journal Media Group (Scripps' direct successor) effectively gave it control of the two major papers in western and central Tennessee, uniting the ''Commercial Appeal'' with
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
's ''
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
''. ''The Commercial Appeal'' is a seven-day morning paper. It is distributed primarily in Greater Memphis, including Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties in Tennessee; DeSoto, Tate, and Tunica counties in Mississippi; and in Crittenden County in Arkansas. These are the contiguous counties to the city of Memphis. ''The Commercial Appeal'' won the 1923
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journali ...
for its opposition of the Ku Klux Klan's operations in the region. In 1994, the newspaper won a
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 19th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) *Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-prof ...
by Michael Ramirez.


History

The paper's name comes from a 19th-century merger between two predecessors, the ''Memphis Commercial'' and the ''Appeal''.


''The Appeal''

''The Commercial Appeal'' traces its heritage to the 1839 publication, ''The Western World & Memphis Banner of the Constitution''. Bought by Col. Henry Van Pelt in 1840, it was renamed ''The Memphis Appeal''. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
the ''Appeal'' was one of the major newspapers serving the Southern cause, and its editor Benjamin Dill was one of the most wanted confederates of the war. On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a
boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...
and published from Grenada, Mississippi. The ''Appeal'' later journeyed on to
Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
,
Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...
,
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...
and finally
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
, where the plates were destroyed on April 16, 1865, temporarily halting publication days before the Confederate surrender. The press was hidden and saved, and publication resumed in Memphis, using it, on November 5, 1865.State of Tennessee Historical Marker, ''The Commercial Appeal / Publishing Locations''.
The Historical Marker Database.


History

Another early paper, '' The Avalanche'', was incorporated in 1894, publishing as ''The Appeal-Avalanche'' until an 1894 merger created ''The Commercial Appeal.'' The name is properly ''The Commercial Appeal'' and not the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'' as it is often called, although the predecessor ''Appeal'' was formally the ''Memphis Daily Appeal''. From the late 19th century through the first quarter of the 20th century, ''The Commercial Appeal'' was led by editor C. P. J. Mooney, "tireless, combative and a devoutly Catholic teetotaler". In 1932, the newspaper moved into a disused Ford Motor Company assembly plant at 495 Union Avenue, where it stayed until 1977, when a new building was completed adjacent. In 1936, ''The Commercial Appeal'' was purchased by the Scripps Howard newspaper chain,. Its sister afternoon paper, the ''Press-Scimitar'', was discontinued in 1983. ''The Commercial Appeal'' was folded into the Journal Media Group by successor E. W. Scripps Company in 2015 after Scripps purchased
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
's Journal Communications and chose to spin off its newspaper assets to expand its broadcasting operations. Gannett then purchased Journal Media Group several months later, taking control of the ''Commercial Appeal'' in April 2016. Gannett then closed the ''Commercial Appeal''s Memphis printing plant after taking control, laying off 19 full-time employees, with the paper then printed at Gannett's existing newspaper in nearby Jackson, the ''
Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
''. The company's west Tennessee printing operations then were consolidated out-of-state in February 2021, when the plant for
Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
's ''
The Clarion-Ledger ''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating ...
'' began to print the ''Commercial Appeal'' and ''Sun''.


Sale of real estate assets

In April 2018, ''The Commercial Appeal'' sold its longtime offices and plant at 495 Union Avenue in Memphis for $3.8 million, indicating plans to move to another Memphis site. At the time of sale, the property, comprised a 125,000-square-foot office building, a 150,000-square-foot printing and production plant, and adjacent real estate. A New York-based real estate company, Twenty Lake Holdings LLC, bought the 6.5 acres with the five-story office building and attached printing/production building. Twenty Lake Holdings is a division of a hedge fund that has been accused of a "mercenary strategy" of buying newspapers, slashing jobs, and selling the buildings and other assets.


Content


Columnists

The paper in the 1940s had a well known columnist named Paul Flowers who wrote "The Greenhouse" column. Lydel Sims was a columnist for the ''Commercial Appeal'' from 1949 until his death in 1995.


Civil rights

''The Commercial Appeal'' has had a mixed record on
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
. In 1868, it published an article by former confederate general
Albert Pike Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate States Army general who served as an List of justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court, associate justice of the Arkansas Supr ...
that was critical of the methods of the Ku Klux Klan, but lauded their aims of
white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
. In 1917, the paper published the scheduled time and place for the upcoming Lynching of Ell Persons. Despite its Confederate background the paper won 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 ...
in 1923 for its coverage and editorial opposition to the resurgent
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, ...
. From 1916 to 1968, the paper published a cartoon called '' Hambone's Meditations''. The cartoon featured a black man, Hambone, that many African Americans came to regard as a racist
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
. During the Civil Rights Movement, the paper generally avoided coverage of the topic. It did take a stance against pro-segregation rioters during the
Ole Miss riot of 1962 The Ole Miss riot of 1962 (September 30 – October 1, 1962), also known as the Battle of Oxford, was a race riot that occurred at the University of Mississippi—commonly called Ole Miss—in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, as Racial ...
. However, its owner,
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 ...
, exerted a generally conservative and anti-union influence. The paper opposed the
Memphis sanitation strike The Memphis sanitation strike began on February 12, 1968, in response to the deaths of sanitation workers Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, Echol Cole and Robert Walker.  The deaths served as a breaking point for more than 1,300 African ...
, portraying both labor organizers and
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
as outside meddlers. During the late 1960s, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation 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 ...
(FBI) leaked "information of a derogatory nature regarding the Invaders and other black nationalist militants," some of which may have been fabricated by the FBI itself, to a ''Commercial Appeal'' reporter who then used that information to write articles critical of the Invaders. This manipulation of ''The Commercial Appeal'' was part of the FBI's counterintelligence program (
COINTELPRO COINTELPRO (a syllabic abbreviation derived from Counter Intelligence Program) was a series of covert and illegal projects conducted between 1956 and 1971 by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltr ...
) against black nationalists in the late 1960s and early 1970s.


Monetization controversy

In the fall of 2007, the ''Appeal'' attempted to launch a
native advertising Native advertising, also called sponsored content, partner content, and branded journalism, is a type of paid advertising that appears in the style and format of the content near the advertisement's placement. It manifests as a post, image, vide ...
effort that would have linked specific stories to specific advertisers who paid for what would be considered an
advertorial An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term "advertorial" is a blend word, blend (see portmanteau) of the words "advertisement" and "editorial". Merriam-Webster dates the origin of the word to 1946. In printed pub ...
. The proposal was greeted by outrage among media analysts, so the authors of the so-called "monetization memo"—the ''Appeal''s editor and its sales manager—quietly withdrew the effort.


Guns database

At the end of 2008, ''The Commercial Appeal'' posted a controversial database listing Tennessee residents with permits to carry handguns. The database is a public record in
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
but had not been posted online. After a permit-to-carry holder shot and killed a man in Memphis for parking too close to his SUV and vandalizing it, the gun database suddenly came to the attention of pro-gun groups, including the
NRA NRA may refer to: Organizations Asia and Oceania * National Railway Administration, the national railway regulator of China * National Recruitment Agency, Central Recruiting Agency of the Indian Government * New Revolutionary Alternative, an anar ...
and the Tennessee Firearms Association. Legislators who supported gun groups quickly drafted a bill to close the permit-to-carry database. The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government lobbied to keep the database public and the bill to close the database did not pass in the 2009 legislative session. In a February 15, 2009 editorial, the newspaper defended publication of the handgun permit list and suggested it could protect permit holders by steering criminals away from armed households. An independent study released in 2011 found " emphisZIP Codes with the highest concentration of permits experienced roughly 1.7 fewer burglaries per week/per ZIP Code in the 15 weeks following the publicization of the database, and those with the lowest concentration experienced on average 1.5 more burglaries." The ''Commercial Appeal'' website for the database currently notes that on April 25, 2013, a law was signed that classified information contained in handgun carry permit applications as "confidential" available only to the court or to law enforcement. The State Attorney General did not restrict publication of existing copies of the database; the ''Commercial Appeal'' has indicated that it will maintain its April 19, 2013 updated database "until the newspaper determines the information is too outdated and no longer serves the public's interests."


See also

* List of newspapers in Tennessee


References


Further reading

* Thomas H. Baker, ''The Memphis Commercial Appeal: The History of a Southern Newspaper'' (1971) * Ed Frank
"Memphis Commercial Appeal"
''Tennessee Encyclopedia'', Tennessee Historical Society.


External links

*
Official Commercial Appeal archive website (Pay)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commercial Appeal, The 1841 establishments in Tennessee Daily newspapers published in the United States Gannett publications Newspapers established in 1841 Newspapers published in Memphis, Tennessee Pulitzer Prize–winning newspapers