Republican-American

The ''Republican-American'' is a conservative-leaning newspaper based in Waterbury, Connecticut. It was established in 1990 through merger of two newspapers under the same ownership: ''Waterbury American'' and ''Waterbury Republican''. The publication's origins date back to 1844. Hearst Connecticut Media group, a division of Hearst Communications, bought the publication from the Pape family on February 5, 2025.

Circulation

Three dozen communities in New Haven and Litchfield counties receive the newspaper, among them being: Greater Waterbury, the Naugatuck Valley, and Litchfield County. Besides Waterbury, it is sold in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Canaan, Cheshire, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Naugatuck, New Hartford, New Milford, North Canaan, Oxford, Plymouth, Prospect, Roxbury, Salisbury, Seymour, Sharon, Southbury, Terryville, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Watertown, Winchester, Winsted, Wolcott, and Woodbury.

History

The ''Republican-American'' is a direct descendant of two other newspapers which went through a series of ownership and content changes since the mid-1800s.

The ''Waterbury American'' started in 1844 as a weekly paper published by Josiah Giles. Twenty-two years later, in 1866, it started publication as a daily newspaper.

The ''Waterbury Republican'' started in 1881 as a weekly paper published by John Henry Morrow. By 1884, it had transitioned to a daily newspaper. The paper changed hands in 1901 when William Jamieson Pape and William M. Lathrop purchased it together.

Pape became the sole owner of the ''Waterbury Republican'' in 1910, and in 1922 purchased the ''Waterbury American''. Ownership of both papers was retained in the Pape family for a century, with the decision to merge them to form the ''Republican-American'' coming in 1990.

In December 2024, the Pape family entered into negotiations to sell the paper to Hearst Communications. The sale was closed on Feb. 5, 2025.

Editorial stance

The ''Republican-American'' describes itself as having a socially and fiscally conservative editorial stance. It advocates what it considers to be pro-business government policies, such as tax cuts and regulatory reform. The ''Republican-American'' claims that it is "quick to blow the whistle on what it views as wasteful use of tax dollars, as well as what it sees as unnecessary growth of local, state or federal government". The newspaper is a frequent critic of the demands of organized labor, especially public-employee unions, arguing they compel governments and businesses to spend beyond their means.

The paper advocates for a more interventionist approach to foreign policy, asserting that "if the U.S. is not quick to forcefully denounce and, if necessary, take action against, aggressive and anti-democratic actions by anti-American regimes and groups, America’s enemies will be emboldened".

Owing to its editorial stance, the ''Republican-American'' typically endorses Republican candidates for office. The paper endorsed Bob Stefanowski in the 2022 and 2018 Connecticut gubernatorial elections.

The ''Republican-American'' has often labeled Democratic officials and candidates as communists or socialists, and the paper's editorial board has been criticized by newspaper trade publication ''Editor & Publisher'' for "McCarthyism" and "red-baiting". The editorial board of the ''Republican-American'' has accused former Senator Chris Dodd of being "chief apologist for the communist tyrants", Senate candidate Ned Lamont of being a Stalinist, and claimed "Marxists-Socialists" control the Democratic Party.Editorial, ''Republican-American'' (Waterbury, Conn.) – April 19, 2006

The paper's editorial board attracted widescale attention and condemnation after publishing a piece titled "Is New Orleans Worth Reclaiming?", following the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

Controversies

The newspaper trade publication ''Editor & Publisher'' heavily criticized the ''Republican-American'' in an August 2006 piece. The publication highlighted an editorial the ''Republican-American'' wrote on then-candidate for U.S. Senate Ned Lamont, which called Lamont and his family communists. ''Editor & Publisher'' rebuked the piece for being "rife with errors", including calling famous American financier J.P. Morgan "the sugar daddy for the American Communist Party and other extreme left-wing organizations".

The ''Republican-American'' faced nationwide scorn for August 2005 editorial, "Is New Orleans Worth Reclaiming?", which called for the abandonment of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The ''New Orleans Times-Picayune'' responded to the ''Republican-American'' in an editorial titled "Yes, We're Worth It", labeling the paper "heartless" and asking "How dare they?".

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican-American
Waterbury, Connecticut
Newspapers published in Connecticut
Pulitzer Prize–winning newspapers
Mass media in New Haven County, Connecticut
Newspapers established in 1844
1844 establishments in Connecticut
Newspapers established in 1881
1881 establishments in Connecticut
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners