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The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
. It serves the city of
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the state, after ''
The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...
''. It was founded in 1905 and locally owned by the Lorton family for almost 100 years until February 2013, when it was sold to BH Media Group, a
Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...
company controlled by
Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...
. The Tulsa World Media Company became part of Lee Enterprises in 2020. The paper was jointly operated with the '' Tulsa Tribune'' from 1941 to 1992.


History

Republican activist James F. McCoy and Kansas journalist J.R. Brady published the first edition of the ''Tulsa World'' on September 14, 1905 at the time Brady was starting ''Tulsa World'', he was also publishing the Indian Republican a weekly newspaper, which was previously edited by a con artist named Myron Boyle. Brady had bought the ''Indian Republican'' in 1905 and fired Boyle in the following year. Boyle borrowed $500 from Dr. S. G. Kennedy, ostensibly to pay some personal debts. Instead, he left town without repaying Dr. Kennedy. Brady was sufficiently successful establishing the ''Tulsa World'' that it attracted a Missouri mine owner, George Bayne, and his brother-in-law, Charles Dent, who bought and ran the paper for the next five years. In 1911, Eugene Lorton, who had just sold his stake in a Walla Walla, Washington newspaper, and moved to Tulsa, bought an interest in the ''Tulsa World'', becoming its editor, and then, with financial backing from Harry Ford Sinclair, the sole owner and publisher in 1917. Beginning in 1915, the ''Tulsa World'' fought an editorial battle advocating a proposal to build a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek and pipe the water 55 miles to Tulsa. Charles Page was among those who opposed the Spavinaw plan; he advocated a plan in his own newspaper to sell water from the Shell Creek water system, which Page owned. Page's newspaper, the ''Morning News'', closed in 1919 after Tulsans approved a bond issue to pipe the water from Spavinaw. He sold a companion paper, ''Tulsa Democrat'', to Richard Lloyd Jones, who renamed it the ''Tulsa Tribune''. In the 1920s, the ''Tulsa World'' was known for its opposition to the
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, ...
, which had risen to local prominence in the wake of the Tulsa Race Riot in the spring of 1921. Lorton was active in Republican Party politics until he was defeated by William B. Pine, in the 1924 primary election for the
US Senate 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 ...
; Pine went on to win the general election. Lorton then supported Democrats Alfred E. Smith in the 1928 Presidential election and
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
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
and
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
. However, Lorton refused to support Roosevelt's third term bid in
1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...
; he returned to the Republicans and remained a GOP supporter for the rest of his life. The ''Tulsa Tribune'' and ''Tulsa World'' entered a joint operating agreement in June 1941. Eugene Lorton died in 1949, leaving majority interest in the newspaper to his wife Maude and smaller shares to four daughters and 20 employees. Eugene's presumed successor, Robert Lorton, had died at age 24 in 1939. In the 1950s, Maude Lorton transferred one-fourth of the company to attorney Byron Boone, who became publisher in 1959. Upon her death, she left the rest of her shares to her grandson Robert. In 1964, Robert Lorton became director of the News Publishing Corporation, which oversaw the non-editorial operations of both the ''Tulsa Tribune'' and ''Tulsa World''. In 1968, he became president of the ''Tulsa World'' and publisher upon Boone's death in 1988. The ''Tulsa Tribune'' ceased operations in 1992 and ''Tulsa World'' acquired its assets. Robert Lorton reacquired the ''Worlds outstanding shares and made the newspaper entirely family-owned once again. In May 2005, he passed the title of publisher to his son Robert E. Lorton III. During the same year, World Publishing Company had 700 employees, and was ranked as one of Oklahoma's largest employers. In February 2013, the paper announced that it would be sold to
Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...
's BH Media Group, controlled by
Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...
. In 2015, BH Media bought six weekly papers and the daily ''Tulsa Business & Legal News'' from Community Publishers Inc. On April 20, 2015, four ''Tulsa World'' journalists—including two nominated for the
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 ...
—suddenly resigned their jobs to accept positions at The Frontier, a new online-only publication launched by the former ''World'' publisher, Bobby Lorton. In 2016, the World announced it would not endorse any candidate in the 2016 election, saying that the American people had been presented with "the least acceptable list of candidates for president in modern times." The paper had maintained its loyalty to the GOP after Eugene Lorton's death; it had endorsed the GOP standardbearer in every election since 1940.


Recent developments

In February 2013, the paper announced that it would be sold to
Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...
's BH Media Group, controlled by
Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...
. Lee Enterprises announced an agreement to buy BH Media Group publications and ''The Buffalo News'' for $140 million cash on January 29, 2020. The acquisition includes the ''Tulsa World''. As of September 2012, weekday circulation was 95,003; Saturday circulation was 104,602; and Sunday circulation was 133,066. In April 2011, the ''World'' introduced a metered model to its digital products that limits the amount of locally produced articles that a non-subscriber can view at no charge. Once viewers have opened 5 stories in 30 days, they will be asked to purchase a subscription. The home page, all section pages, classifieds and most syndicated content is unrestricted to all readers. "In reality, more people are engaged with our content than ever before. But it no longer seems fair to have a portion of our readers pay for our content while others do not. Therefore, like many publications, we have decided to charge a fee for our digital content. Print subscribers will continue to receive unlimited access to our digital products," wrote then publisher and CEO Robert E. Lorton III in a letter to readers In March 2008, the ''World'' closed its zoned suburban newspapers, called the "Community World," and laid off its 18 staff members. ''Tulsa World'' laid off 28 employees in early 2009. Twenty-six newsroom employees were terminated immediately. Editors said in a memo that staff members would be challenged to produce a quality product after the layoffs, and editors asked remaining newsroom employees to take on new duties. On March 29, 2009, the ''World'' published a column by its then publisher, Robert E. Lorton III, responding to what Lorton called "an unusual amount of concerned correspondence in regard to the future of this company and our industry." Lorton asserted that despite the difficult economy and general downward trends in the newspaper industry and the World's own staff cuts, that ''Tulsa World'' remains profitable and has a healthy capital structure. The ''World'' further reduced staff on March 1, 2011 by terminating eighteen employees, "the result of a company-wide evaluation by management of operational efficiencies." The ''World'' says "the reduction represents approximately 3 percent of its staff." Also in January 2009, the ''Tulsa World'' and
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
's daily newspaper, ''
The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...
'', announced a content-sharing agreement in which each paper would carry some content created by the other. The papers also said they would "focus on reducing some areas of duplication, such as sending reporters from both ''The Oklahoman'' and ''Tulsa World'' to cover routine news events." In mid-January 2009, ''Tulsa World'' 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 ...
lawsuit against noted local blogger Michael Bates, ''Urban Tulsa Weekly'', and the ''Weekly''s editor and publisher, over a column Bates wrote for the weekly paper, in which Bates expressed doubts about the ''World''s circulation numbers based on a 2006 report by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. On January 20, ''The Tulsa World'' said it would drop the case against ''Urban Tulsa Weekly'' and its editor and publisher, after the weekly paper agreed to issue a retraction, but Bates remained a defendant. ''Tulsa World''s decision to sue a competitor paper was criticized in a column by ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' editor Jack Shafer. On February 12, 2009, the ''World'' reported that Bates had issued an apology and retraction, and that the libel lawsuit had been settled on confidential terms.


Notable staff

* Mildred Ladner Thompson, former ''Tulsa World'' book editor and columnist


See also

* *


References


External links

*
''Tulsa World'' mobile
* Krehbiel, Randy

at the
Oklahoma Historical Society The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma dedicated to promotion and preservation of Oklahoma's history and its people by collecting, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge and artifacts of Oklahoma. ...
br>''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''
(retrieved April 14, 2009).
''Tulsa Daily World''
hosted by th
Gateway to Oklahoma History

"Voices of Oklahoma interview with Ken Neal"
��First person interview conducted on February 26, 2009 with Ken Neal, former editor of the ''Tulsa World''
Voices of Oklahoma interview with Alex Adwan"
��First person interview conducted on May 4, 2010, with Alex Adwan, former editor of the ''Tulsa World'' {{Lee Enterprises Newspapers published in Tulsa, Oklahoma Newspapers established in 1905 1905 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Lee Enterprises publications