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''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating daily newspaper in the United States. The newspaper has the largest circulation of any newspaper in both Pennsylvania and the
Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...
metropolitan region, which includes Philadelphia and its surrounding communities in southeastern Pennsylvania,
South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...
, northern
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, and the northern
Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Ma ...
. As of 2020, the newspaper has the 17th-largest circulation of any newspaper in the United States As of 2020, ''The Inquirer'' has won 20
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 ...
s. Several decades after its 1829 founding, ''The Inquirer'' began emerging as one of the nation's major newspapers 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 ...
. Its circulation dropped after the Civil War's conclusion, but it rose again by the end of the 19th century. Originally supportive of the Democratic Party, ''The Inquirer''s political orientation eventually shifted toward the Whig Party and then the Republican Party before stating, in the mid-20th century, that it was politically independent. By the end of the 1960s, ''The Inquirer'' trailed its chief competitor, '' The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin'' in circulation, and was lacking modern facilities and experienced staff. In the 1970s, however, following its acquisition by
Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...
and the hiring of new editors, it once again emerged as one of the nation's most prominent and influential newspapers. ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is owned by
The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC (formerly Philadelphia Media Network (PMN)) is an American media company. It owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and ''Philadelphia Daily News''. The company is owned by The Philadelphia Foundation, a nonprofit org ...
, which also publishes ''
Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...
'', the city's daily tabloid, and the news portal philly.com. As of 2023, the newspaper's publisher and chief executive officer is Elizabeth H. Hughes, and its editor is Gabriel Escobar.


History


19th century

''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' was founded June 1, 1829, by printer John R. Walker and
John Norvell John Norvell (December 21, 1789April 24, 1850) was a newspaper editor and one of the first U.S. Senators from Michigan. He is known as one of two co-founders of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the third-longest continually operating daily newspaper in ...
, former editor of Philadelphia's largest newspaper, the ''Aurora & Gazette''. An
editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...
in the first issue of ''The Pennsylvania Inquirer'' promised that the paper would be devoted to the right of a minority to voice their opinion and "the maintenance of the rights and liberties of the people, equally against the abuses as the usurpation of power." They pledged support to then-
President Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. His p ...
and "home industries, American manufactures, and
internal improvements Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, can ...
that so materially contribute to the agricultural, commercial and national prosperity." ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States. In 1962, an ''Inquirer''-commissioned historian traced ''The Inquirer'' to
John Dunlap John Dunlap (21 August 1746 – 27 November 1812) was an Early American publishers and printers, early American printer who emigrated from Ulster, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and who printed the first copies of the United States Declaration of ...
's '' The Pennsylvania Packet'', which was founded on October 28, 1771. In 1850, ''The Packet'' was merged with another newspaper, ''The North American'', which later merged with the ''
Philadelphia Public Ledger The ''Public Ledger'' was a daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published from March 25, 1836, to January 1942. Its motto was "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence". It was Philadelphia's most widely-circulated newspaper for a period, but ...
''. The ''Public Ledger'', in turn, merged with ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' in the 1930s. Between 1962 and 1975, a line on ''The Inquirer''s front page claimed that the newspaper is the United States' oldest surviving daily newspaper. If the lineage of ''The Packet'' and ''The North American'' is counted in the newspaper's history, ''The Inquirer'' would currently be the longest continuously published newspaper in the nation. Six months after ''The Inquirer'' was founded, with competition from eight established daily newspapers, lack of funds forced Norvell and Walker to sell the newspaper to publisher and ''United States Gazette'' associate editor
Jesper Harding Jesper Harding (November 5, 1799 – August 21, 1865) was an American publisher in Philadelphia. Early life Harding was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 1799, a son of George Harding and Mary (née Hudd) Harding. His father ...
. In 1829, ''The Inquirer'' moved from its original location between
Front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ...
and 2nd streets to between 2nd and 3rd streets. After Harding acquired ''The Pennsylvania Inquirer'', it was briefly published as an afternoon paper before returning to its original morning format in January 1830. When Harding bought and merged the ''Morning Journal'' in January 1830, the newspaper was moved to South Second Street. Ten years later, ''The Inquirer'' moved again, this time to its own building at the corner of Third Street and Carter's Alley. Harding expanded ''The Inquirers content, and the newspaper soon grew into a major Philadelphia newspaper. The expanded content included the addition of fiction. In 1840, Harding gained rights to publish several
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
novels for which Dickens was paid a significant sum, even though the common practice was to pay little or nothing for the rights of foreign authors' works. Harding retired in 1859, and was succeeded by his son, William White Harding, who had become a partner three years earlier. William Harding changed the name of the newspaper to its current name, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. In an attempt to increase circulation, Harding cut the price of the paper, began delivery routes and had newsboys sell papers on the street.


American Civil War

In 1859, circulation had been around 7,000; by 1863 it had increased to 70,000. Part of the increase was due to the interest in news 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 ...
. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 copies of ''The Inquirer'' were distributed to Union Army soldiers during the war and several times the
U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...
asked ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' to publish special editions for its soldiers. ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' supported the Union, but Harding wanted their coverage to remain neutral.
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
generals often sought copies of the paper, believing that the newspaper's war coverage was accurate. During the Civil War, ''Inquirer'' journalist
Uriah Hunt Painter Uriah Hunt Painter (March 5, 1837 – October 20, 1900) was an American journalist, lobbyist, entrepreneur, and investor. He broke the news of the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 and of the Confederate invasion of the North ...
was at the
First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
.
by Confederate States ...
in 1861, a battle which ended in a Confederate victory. Initial reports from the government claimed a Union victory, but ''The Inquirer'' went with Painter's firsthand account. Crowds threatened to burn ''The Inquirer'' building down because of the report. Another report about General George Meade angered him enough that he punished Edward Crapsey, the reporter who wrote it. Crapsey and other Civil War correspondents at the newspaper later decided to attribute any victories of the
Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...
, Meade's command, to
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
, commander of the Union Army. Any defeats, conversely, were attributed to Meade. During the Civil War, ''The Inquirer'' continued to grow with more staff being added and another move into a larger building on Chestnut Street. Following the Civil War, ''The Inquirer'' faced financial challenges, and Harding became ill. Despite Philadelphia's population growth, distribution fell from 70,000 during the Civil War to 5,000 in 1888. In 1889, the newspaper was sold to publisher James Elverson, who moved ''The Inquirer'' to a new building that included the latest printing technology. Elverson also increased the newspaper's staff. A new ''Inquirer'' premiered on March 1, 1889, and was successful enough that Elverson launched a Sunday edition of the newspaper. In 1890, in an attempt to increase circulation further, the price of ''The Inquirer'' was cut and the paper's size was increased, mostly with
classified advertisements Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements use ...
. After five years, ''The Inquirer'' had to move into a larger building on Market Street and later expanded further into an adjacent property.


20th century

After Elverson's death in 1911, his son by his wife Sallie Duvall, James Elverson Jr. took charge. Under Elverson Jr., the newspaper continued to grow, eventually needing to move again. Elverson Jr. bought land at
Broad Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly navi ...
and Callowhill Streets and built the 18-story Elverson Building, now known as the
Inquirer Building __NOTOC__ The Inquirer Building, formerly called the Elverson Building, is an eighteen-story building at the intersection of North Broad and Callowhill Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia, completed in 1924 as ...
. The first issue of ''The Inquirer'' was printed at the new building on July 13, 1925. Four years later, in 1929, Elverson Jr. died, and his sister, Eleanor Elverson Patenôtre, widow of Jules Patenôtre, assumed leadership of ''The Inquirer''. Patenôtre ordered cuts throughout the paper, but was not really interested in managing it, and ownership of the newspaper was put up for sale. Cyrus Curtis and Curtis-Martin Newspapers Inc. bought the newspaper on March 5, 1930. Curtis died a year later and his stepson-in-law,
John Charles Martin John Charles Martin was an American newspaper publisher. Beginning in 1913, ran the newspapers purchased by his step father-in-law Cyrus Curtis, including the '' Public Ledger'', the ''New York Evening Post'', the ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', and f ...
, took charge. Martin merged ''The Inquirer'' with another paper, the ''Public Ledger'', but 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 ...
hurt Curtis-Martin Newspapers and the company defaulted in payments of maturity notes. Ownership of ''The Inquirer'' then returned to the Patenôtre family and Elverson Corp. Charles A. Taylor was elected president of The Inquirer Co. and ran the paper until it was sold to Moses L. Annenberg in 1936. During the period between Elverson Jr. and Annenberg ''The Inquirer'' stagnated, its editors ignoring most of the poor economic news of the Depression. The lack of growth allowed
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 ...
's newspaper, ''
The Philadelphia Record ''The Philadelphia Record'' was a daily newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1877 until 1947. It became among the most circulated papers in the city and was at some points the circulation leader. History ''The Public Record'' ...
'', to surpass ''The Inquirer'' in circulation and become the largest newspaper in Pennsylvania. Under Moses Annenberg, ''The Inquirer'' turned around. Annenberg added new features, increased staff and held promotions to increase circulation. By November 1938 ''Inquirer'''s weekday circulation increased to 345,422 from 280,093 in 1936. During that same period the ''Record'''s circulation had dropped to 204,000 from 328,322. In 1939, Annenberg was charged with
income tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduc ...
. Annenberg pleaded guilty before his trial and was sentenced to three years in prison. While incarcerated, he fell ill and died from a
brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
six weeks after his release from prison in June 1942. Upon Moses Annenberg's death, his son,
Walter Annenberg Walter Hubert Annenberg (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and diplomat. Annenberg owned and operated Triangle Publications, which included ownership of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer' ...
, took over. In 1947, the ''Record'' went out of business, and ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' emerged as Philadelphia's only major daily morning newspaper. While still trailing behind Philadelphia's largest newspaper, the ''Evening Bulletin'', ''The Inquirer'' also continued to operate profitably. In 1948, Walter Annenberg expanded the Inquirer Building with a new structure that housed new printing presses for ''The Inquirer''. During the 1950s and 1960s, Annenberg acquired ''Seventeen'' magazine and ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''. In 1957, Annenberg bought the ''
Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...
'' and combined the ''Daily News''' facilities with ''The Inquirer'''s. In 1958, a 38-day strike in 1958 hurt ''The Inquirer'' and, following the strike, so many reporters had accepted buyout offers and left that the newsroom was noticeably empty, leaving many copy clerks with little experience responsible for reporting. One of the few star reporters of the 1950s and 1960s was investigative reporter
Harry Karafin Harry J. Karafin (September 4, 1915 – October 23, 1973) was an American investigative journalist associated with ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. He was a reporter at the ''Inquirer'' for 24 years (having worked his way up from copyboy, beginning i ...
, who exposed corruption and wrote exclusive stories for ''The Inquirer'', but also
extorted Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded t ...
money out of individuals and organizations. Karafin told sources that he had harmful information on them, and would demand money in exchange for him not making the information public. This went on from the late 1950s into the early 1960s before Karafin was exposed in 1967 and was subsequently convicted of extortion a year later, in 1968. As the newspaper entered the 1970s, circulation and advertising revenue was declining, and the newspaper had become, as ''Time'' magazine reported, "uncreative and undistinguished."


Corporate ownership

In 1969, Samuel Newhouse offered Annenberg $55 million to acquire ''The Inquirer''. But having earlier promised John S. Knight the right of first refusal to any sale, Annenberg instead sold the newspaper to Knight, and ''The Inquirer'' and ''Philadelphia Daily News'' became part of Knight Newspapers and its new subsidiary, Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. (PNI). Five years later, in 1974, Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications to form
Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...
. When ''The Inquirer'' was acquired, it was understaffed, its equipment was largely outdated, many of its employees were underskilled, and the newspaper trailed its chief competitor, the ''Evening Bulletin'', in weekday circulation. In 1972, however, Eugene L. Roberts Jr. became ''The Inquirer'' executive editor, and once again turned the newspaper around. Between 1975 and 1990, ''The Inquirer'' won seventeen Pulitzers, six of which were won in consecutive years between 1975 and 1980, and the newspaper won more journalism awards than any other newspaper in the United States. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine named ''The Inquirer'' one of the ten best daily newspapers in the United States, calling Roberts' changes to the paper, "one of the most remarkable turnarounds, in quality and profitability, in the history of American journalism." In 1980, ''The Inquirer'' had emerged as the most circulated paper in Philadelphia, forcing the ''Evening Bulletin'' to shut down two years later. Between 1970 and 1985, however, ''The Inquirer'' experienced eleven strikes, the longest of which, in 1985, lasted 46 days. ''The Inquirer'' also faced criticism for its expanded international coverage, which led ''Time'' magazine to report that it was covering "
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
better than
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
". Throughout the 1980s, however, the newspaper continued to grow. When the ''Evening Bulletin'' shut down in 1982, ''The Inquirer'' hired 17 ''Bulletin'' reporters and doubled its bureaus to attract former ''Bulletin'' readers. By 1989, Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.'s editorial staff reached a peak of 721 employees. In the 1990s, ''The Inquirer'' again confronted challenges with diminishing circulation and advertisement revenue. While part of a nationwide trend, the impact was exacerbated by, according to dissatisfied ''Inquirer'' employees, the newspaper resisting changes that many other daily newspapers implemented to keep readers and pressure from Knight Ridder to cut operating costs. During most of Roberts's time as editor, Knight Ridder allowed him a great deal of freedom in running the newspaper. In the late 1980s, however, Knight Ridder expressed concern about ''The Inquirer'' profitability and took a more active role in its operations. Knight Ridder pressured ''The Inquirer'' to expand into the more profitable Philadelphia suburbs, while at the same time cutting staff and coverage of national and international stories. Some of ''The Inquirer'' best reporters accepted buyouts, and left for ''
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 ...
'' and ''
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 ...
''. By the late 1990s, all of the high-level editors who had worked with Roberts in the 1970s and 1980s had left, none at normal retirement age. Since the 1980s, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' has won three Pulitzers: a 1997 award for "Explanatory Journalism.", the public service award (the top category) in 2012 for "its coverage of pervasive violence in the city's schools", and the 2014 prize for criticism, won by the newspaper's architecture critic, Inga Saffron. In 1998, ''Inquirer'' reporter Ralph Cipriano filed a
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 ...
suit against Knight Ridder, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', and ''Inquirer'' editor Robert Rosenthal over comments Rosenthal made about Cipriano to ''The Washington Post'', claiming it was difficult reporting negative stories in ''The Inquirer'' about the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...
. Rosenthal later claimed that Cipriano had "a very strong personal point of view and an agenda...He could never prove (his stories)." The suit was later settled out of court in 2001.


21st century

In the early 21st century, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' launched an online news desk to compete with local Philadelphia radio stations in the coverage of breaking news. In June 2006, Knight Ridder was acquired by its rival,
The McClatchy Company McClatchy Media Company, or simply McClatchy and MCC, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law. Originally based in Sacramento, California, United States, and known as The McClatchy Company, it b ...
. ''The Inquirer'' and the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' were among the 12 least profitable Knight Ridder newspapers that McClatchy put up for sale in March 2006. On June 29, 2006, ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News'' were sold to
Philadelphia Media Holdings Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC was an American holding company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by Brian Tierney in 2006, the company owned ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and ''Philadelphia Daily News''. After The McCl ...
LLC (PMH), a group of Philadelphia-area business people, including Brian Tierney, PMH's chief executive. The new owners announced plans to spend US$5 million on advertisements and promotions to increase ''The Inquirer'''s profile and readership. Following PMH's acquisition, ''The Inquirer'' advertising and other revenue, especially its national advertising revenue, fell considerably, and the newspaper's circulation also continued to fall. As a result, the newspaper's management cut 400 jobs at ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News'' between 2006 and 2009. On February 21, 2009, despite cutting its operating costs, however, Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...
with the company holding approximately US$390 million in debt, much of which was borrowed to acquire ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News''. The bankruptcy filing kicked off a year-long dispute between Philadelphia Media Holdings and its creditors. Creditors, including banks and
hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...
s, sought to take control of Philadelphia Newspapers LLC themselves and opposed efforts by Philadelphia Media Holdings to maintain control of the newspaper's operations. Philadelphia Media Holdings was supported by most of the newspaper's unions. It also launched a public relations campaign to promote its continued control of the newspaper, highlighting the value of local ownership of media. On April 28, 2010, at a bankruptcy auction, the group of lending creditors and a group of local investors allied with Tierney both bid for ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News''. The lenders emerged with the winning bid for the newspapers, but the deal collapsed after the lenders, operating under the name of
Philadelphia Media Network The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC (formerly Philadelphia Media Network (PMN)) is an American media company. It owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and ''Philadelphia Daily News''. The company is owned by The Philadelphia Foundation, a nonprofit or ...
(PMN), were unable to reach a contract agreement with the union representing the company's newspaper delivery drivers. Philadelphia Newspapers, represented by Lawrence G. McMichael of Dilworth Paxson LLP, challenged the right of creditors to credit bid at a bankruptcy auction. Their claim was ultimately heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which agreed that that credit bidding was not permitted. In September 2010, both newspapers again were placed for auction, and again Philadelphia Media Network (PMN) won the bid. After successfully negotiating a contract with all of the newspaper's 14 unions, the $139 million deal was finalized on October 8. ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' continued with profitability, largely due to emerging competition from digital media sources. By May 2012, the combined journalist staff at all of Philadelphia Media Network was about 320, and some of the same stories and photographs appear both in ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News''. On April 2, 2012, a group of local business leaders paid $55 million for the newspaper, less than 15 percent of the $515 million spent to buy the papers in 2006. In June 2014, PMN was sold to H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, who appointed C.Z. "Terry" Egger as publisher and chief executive officer four months later, in October 2015. In 2016, Lenfest donated PMN to
The Philadelphia Foundation The Philadelphia Foundation is a community foundation that serves the metropolitan Philadelphia community. The five primary counties served are Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. It is one of the oldest and largest communit ...
, so that ''The Inquirer'', its daily tabloid affiliate, the ''Daily News'', and their joint website, Philly.com, could remain in Philadelphia. In October 2011, Philadelphia Media Network sold the
Inquirer Building __NOTOC__ The Inquirer Building, formerly called the Elverson Building, is an eighteen-story building at the intersection of North Broad and Callowhill Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia, completed in 1924 as ...
to Bart Blatstein, a developer affiliated with Tower Investments Inc., who said he intended to turn the complex into a mixed-use complex of offices retail and apartments. The following month, however, publisher and chief executive officer Gregory J. Osberg announced that 600 of the 740 Philadelphia Media Network employees of ''The Inquirer'', ''Daily News'', and Philly.com would move to office space in the former
Strawbridge & Clothier Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban empori ...
department store on east Market Street, and that the remaining employees would move to offices in the Philadelphia suburbs. In July 2012, Philadelphia Media Network moved to the new location, consolidating its offices on the building's third floor. Cutbacks left much of the of the Inquirer Building empty, but the east Market Street location consolidated Philadelphia Media's departments, including the ''Daily News'' newsroom with ''The Inquirer''. The new location has a street-level lobby and event room. Plans for the building also included electronic signage such as a
news ticker A news ticker (sometimes called a crawler, crawl, slide, zipper, ticker tape, or chyron) is a horizontal or vertical (depending on the language's writing system) text-based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the ...
on the corner of the
Center City Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the ci ...
high-rise. In 2019, Philadelphia Media Network renamed Philly.com to Inquirer.com, and the ''Daily News'' was made an edition of ''The Inquirer''. Philadelphia Media Network, in turn, was renamed The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. In 2019, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' also became a founding member of
Spotlight PA Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. The organization was founded in 2019 by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and a coalition of news or ...
, an investigative reporting partnership focused on
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. On June 2, 2020, ''The Inquirer'' ran an
Inga Saffron Inga Saffron (born November 9, 1957) is an American journalist and architecture critic. She won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism while writing for ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. Early life and education Saffron was raised in Levittown, New Y ...
article covering the
George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
under the headline "Buildings Matter, Too", a reference to property damage inflicted 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 ...
during the Floyd protests. On June 3, however, editors of ''The Inquirer'' apologized for the headline and several ''Inquirer'' journalists wrote an open letter, alleging that the newspaper was failing to report accurately on the Philadelphia area's non-white communities. The letter demanded a plan for correcting these issues, threatening to call in "sick and tired" beginning the following day, June 4, if the concerns were not addressed. The letter read in part: On June 4, as promised in their letter, over 40 ''Inquirer'' staffers called in sick. Two days later, on June 6, the newspaper announced that Stan Wischnowski would resign as the newspaper's senior vice president and executive editor, and ''Inquirer'' journalists were told they would not have a say in his replacement. In 2022, the paper admitted to its own racism, both in publishing the article and across the organization. In May 2023, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' was severely disrupted by a
cyberattack A cyberattack (or cyber attack) occurs when there is an unauthorized action against computer infrastructure that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content. The rising dependence on increasingly complex and inte ...
. In March 2025, the ''Inquirer'' eliminated its Communities and Engagement Desk, which had covered marginalized communities since 2020.


Politics

Since its founding in 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' has asserted itself editorially on political issues of the day. In its earliest days, John Norvell left as editor of what was then the ''Aurora & Gazette'' because he disagreed with what he felt was the newspaper's editorial approval of a movement towards a European class system. When Norvell and John Walker founded ''The Inquirer'', they wanted the newspaper to represent all people and not just its upper classes. The newly launched newspaper supported the ideology of
Jeffersonian democracy Jeffersonian democracy, named after its advocate Thomas Jefferson, was one of two dominant political outlooks and movements in the United States from the 1790s to the 1820s. The Jeffersonians were deeply committed to American republicanism, wh ...
and the political leadership of then
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 ...
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, declaring support for the right of the minority's opinion to be heard. In founding of ''The Inquirer'', according to legend, Norvell said, "There could be no better name than ''The Inquirer''. In a free state, there should always be an inquirer asking on behalf of the people: 'Why was this done? Why is that necessary work not done? Why is that man put forward? Why is that law proposed? Why? Why? Why?" When Norvell and Walker sold their newspaper to Jesper Harding, Harding kept the newspaper close to the founder's politics and supported the Democratic Party. However, Harding disagreed with Andrew Jackson's handling of the
Second Bank of the United States The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Second Report on Public Credit, Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January ...
, and he began supporting the anti-Jackson wing of the Democrats. During the 1836 Presidential election, Harding supported the Whig party candidate over the Democratic candidate, which led ''The Inquirer'' to become known as a pro-Whig newspaper. Before 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 ...
commenced in 1861 ''The Inquirer'' supported the preservation of the Union, and was critical of the
abolitionist movement 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 France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...
, which some felt was responsible for secession of
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
states. Once the Civil War began, ''The Inquirer'' reported neutrally and independently on the war, but firmly supported the Union. At first, editors of ''The Inquirer'' opposed
emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
. Following military setbacks of the Union Army, however, ''The Inquirer'' began editorializing in support of a more pro-Union and pro- Republican stance. In a July 1862 article, ''The Inquirer'' wrote, "in this war there can be but two parties, patriots and traitors." When James Elverson assumed leadership of ''The Inquirer'', he declared, "the new ''Inquirer'' shall be in all respects a complete, enterprising, progressive newspaper, moved by all the wide-awake spirit of the time and behind in nothing of interest to people who want to know what is going on every day and everywhere...steadily and vigorously Republican in its political policy, but just and fair in its treatment of all questions..." During the 1900 Republican convention in Philadelphia, Elverson set up a large electric banner over Broad Street that declared "Philadelphia Inquirer – Largest Republican Circulation in the World." At the turn of the 20th century, the newspaper began editorial campaigns to improve Philadelphia, including the paving of major streets and ending what the newspaper saw as a corrupt plan to buy the polluted
Schuylkill Canal The Schuylkill Canal, or Schuylkill Navigation, was a system of interconnected canals and slack-water pools along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, built as a commercial waterway in the early 19th-century. Chartered in 1815 ...
for drinking water. The newspaper maintained these editorial positions under Elverson's son, Elverson Jr.. By the 1920s, ''The Inquirer'' became known as the "Republican Bible of Pennsylvania". Between 1929 and 1936, while under Patenotre and Curtis-Martin, ''The Inquirer'' continued to support the Republican party and
President Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
, and did not provide much reporting on
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 ...
. Statistics on unemployment or business closings were ignored, even when they were conveyed by the
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
. As some Philadelphia banks closed during the Great Depression, news of their closing was relegated to the back of the newspaper's financial section. When Moses Annenberg assumed leadership of ''The Inquirer'', he announced that the newspaper would "continue to uphold the principles of the Republican Party." But in a meeting with newspaper editors shortly after, he proposed that the paper go independent and support President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the upcoming presidential election. The newspaper's editors at the time rejected this idea, and the paper remained largely Republican. In the late 1930s, Annenberg disagreed with Roosevelt's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
programs and his handling of strikes, leading to editorials in ''The Inquirer'' that criticized Roosevelt's policies and his supporters. Annenberg strongly opposed Democratic
Pennsylvania governor The governor of Pennsylvania is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the state's national guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to approve or veto bills pass ...
George Earle, and ''The Inquirer'' supported Republican candidates in the 1938 Pennsylvania state elections. When Republicans swept the election, there was a celebration at ''The Inquirer'' headquarters that included red flares and the firing of cannons. The attacks against Democrats and the support given Republicans caught the attention of the Roosevelt administration. Under Annenberg, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' emerged as a major challenger to ''The Record'', which was supportive of Democrats. As Annenberg began focusing on politics, Democratic politicians often attacked Annenberg, accusing him of illegal business practices. In 1939, Annenberg was charged with income tax evasion. He pleaded guilty prior to his trial, and was sentenced to three years in prison. Annenberg's friends and his son, Walter, claimed that the entire trial was politically motivated and that his sentence was excessively harsh.


Independent

In 1947, ''The Record'', the primary Philadelphia competitor of ''The Inquirer'', ceased operations, and ''The Inquirer'' announced that it would be an independent newspaper. Frustrated with corruption in Philadelphia, ''The Inquirer'' supported Democratic candidates in the 1951 election. While Walter Annenberg promised that ''The Inquirer'' would be politically independent, he still used the newspaper to attack people he disliked, sometimes including a person or group with whom he was angered. Annenberg then blacklisted the person or group, insisting that they not be mentioned in ''The Inquirer''. People on the blacklist were even airbrushed out of images. Annenberg's blacklist included
Nicholas Katzenbach Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach (January 17, 1922 – May 8, 2012) was an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney General during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. He had previously served as United States Deputy Attorney Genera ...
,
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...
,
Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...
, and the
Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden ...
, the city's professional basketball team at the time, who Annenberg insisted not be mentioned for an entire season. In 1966, Walter Annenberg used ''The Inquirer'' to attack Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate
Milton Shapp Milton Jerrold Shapp (born Milton Jerrold Shapiro; June 25, 1912 – November 24, 1994) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 40th governor of Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1979 and the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania. He ...
. During a press conference, an ''Inquirer'' reporter asked Shapp if he had ever been a patient in a mental hospital; having never been a patient, Shapp said no. The following day, ''The Inquirer''s headline read, "Shapp Denies Rumors He Had Psychiatric Treatment in 1965." Shapp attributed his loss of the election to Annenberg's attack campaign. Annenberg was a backer and friend of
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
. In the 1952 presidential election, critics later claimed Annenberg and the newspaper looked the other way when covering allegations related to Nixon's purported misappropriation of funds. Later, to avoid accusations of political bias, Annenberg had ''The Inquirer'' use only the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
and other news wire services in covering the
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
and
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
presidential elections in which Nixon was a candidate, losing in 1960 to
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
and winning in 1968 in a three-way race against
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...
and
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
. After Nixon's election as president in 1968, he appointed Annenberg U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. A year later, in 1969, Annenberg sold ''The Inquirer'' to Knight Newspapers in a transaction that stipulated that Annenberg's name would appear as "Editor and Publisher Emeritus" on ''The Inquirer'' masthead. In 1970, Annenberg, unhappy with the direction of ''The Inquirer'' under the new ownership, had his name removed from the newspaper's masthead following its publication of an editorial critical of Richard Nixon. Under Knight Ridder, ''The Inquirer'' continued to insist that it remained editorially independent, but the newspaper faced criticism from
conservatives 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 civilizati ...
, who labeled it left leaning. Although the Inquirer was known as the "Republican Bible of Pennsylvania" in the early 1900s, as of 2006, ''The Inquirer'' had not endorsed a Republican candidate for president for over a quarter century, when it endorsed
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
in the 1976 presidential election. Throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century, the newspaper also faced criticism for its coverage of
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, including from the
Zionist Organization of America The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA; ) is an American nonprofit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897, as the Federation of American Zionists, it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th century ...
, which accused ''The Inquirer'' of being
anti-Israel Anti-Israeli sentiment or simply anti-Israel may refer to: * Anti-Zionism * Criticism of Israel ** Anti-Israel lobby in the United States See also * Antisemitism ** New antisemitism * Anti-Judaism Anti-Judaism denotes a spectrum of hi ...
. In 2006, ''The Inquirer'' became one of the only major United States newspapers to print one of the ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons. Following its publication,
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
picketed outside The Inquirer Building to protest their printing. When Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C. (PMH) bought the paper in 2006, Brian Tierney and the business people associated with PMH signed a pledge promising that they would not seek to influence the content of the newspaper. Tierney, a Republican advertising and public relations executive, had criticized ''The Inquirer'' in the past on behalf of his clients, including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which he had represented. In 2012, the sale of ''The Inquirer'' to six local Philadelphia business leaders led to concerns of conflict of interest. The new owners, which included New Jersey Democratic fundraiser George Norcross III, media entrepreneur H. F. Lenfest, former
New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
owner
Lewis Katz Lewis Katz (; January 11, 1942May 31, 2014) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and newspaper publisher, who was a co-owner of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. Early life Katz was born to a Jewish familyLiberty Property Trust and chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce William Hankowsky, pledged not to influence the content of the paper.


Board of directors

The members of board of directors as of January 2025 * Elizabeth H. Hughes * Lisa Kabnick, Chair * S. Mitra Kalita *
Josh Kopelman Joshua Kopelman is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist. Kopelman has consistently been ranked as one of the world's top 20 venture capitalists. He was the founder of First Round Capital, and before that, a founder of ...
, Chair Emeritus * Keith Leaphart, Vice Chair * Neil Vogel * Gillian B. White


Workforce

In March 2020, The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia Inquirer LLC reached an agreement on a three-year contract agreement that would include a workforce diversity provision and raises for the entire newsroom, which had not seen across the board salary increases since August 2009. NewsGuild membership ratified the three-year contract agreement on March 17, 2020.


Demographics

''The Inquirer'' has 225 newsroom employees. 54.7% of whom are male and 45.3% of whom are female. Critics have alleged that the racial demographics of the newsroom, which is 75 percent White, does not match the city it covers, which is only 34% White. However, these allegations appear to exclude the broader circulation of the newspaper, which stretches beyond the city of Philadelphia, which is approximately 60% White and approximately 20% Black. As of 2021, three quarters of the editors of ''The Inquirer'' were White. As of 2023, three desks – Health, Investigations and Now – have no Black journalists.


Production

''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is headquartered at 100 S. Independence Mall west in the Market East section of
Center City Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the ci ...
, where its tabloid sister publication, the ''
Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...
'' is also headquartered. In September 1994, ''The Inquirer'' and
WPHL-TV WPHL-TV (channel 17) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. The station also maintains a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV. Owned and operated by The CW's majority owner, ...
began co-producing a 10 p.m. newscast, ''Inquirer News Tonight'', which lasted a year before WPHL-TV took complete control over the program and renamed it ''WB17 News at Ten''. Since 1995, ''The Inquirer'' has been available on the Internet, most recently at Inquirer.com, which, along with the ''Philadelphia Daily News,'' is part of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer LLC.'' In 2004, ''The Inquirer'' formed a partnership with Philadelphia's
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
station,
WCAU WCAU (channel 10) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned and operated by the NBC television network through its NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Mount Laurel, New Jersey–licensed ...
, giving the paper access to WCAU's weather forecasts while also contributing to news segments throughout the day. In 2020, ''The Inquirer'' closed its Schuylkill Printing Plant in Upper Merion Township, laying off about 500 employees. , printing of ''The Inquirer'' and the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' has been outsourced to a printing plant in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...
, which is owned by
Gannett 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 several ...
. , ''The Inquirer'' publisher is Elizabeth H. Hughes, and its editor and senior vice president is Gabriel Escobar. Managing editors are Charlotte Sutton, Patrick Kerkstra, Richard G. Jones, Michael Huang, Kate Dailey and Danese Kenon. Deputy managing editors are Brian Leighton, James Neff, Ross Maghielse, Molly Eichel and Ariella Cohen. ''The Inquirer'' provides coverage of Philadelphia and its surrounding suburban communities in northern
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
,
South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...
, and southeastern
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
.


Pulitzer Prizes


See also

*
List of newspapers in Pennsylvania This is a list of newspapers in Pennsylvania. Daily newspapers :''This is a list of all daily newspapers in Pennsylvania. For weeklies, please see List of newspapers in Pennsylvania'' *''Altoona Mirror'' - Altoona *'' Beaver County Times'' - B ...
*
List of newspapers in the United States by circulation A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
Media in Philadelphia This is a list of media based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Newspapers and magazines Former newspapers: * ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' * '' The Catholic Standard & Times'' * '' L'Abeille américaine'' * ''Philadelphia City Paper'' Television stat ...
* ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' people


References

Notes


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Philadelphia Inquirer, The 1829 establishments in Pennsylvania Daily newspapers published in Pennsylvania Newspapers published in Philadelphia Newspapers established in 1829 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners Pulitzer Prize–winning newspapers