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New York Post

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The New York Post is one of the oldest (and according to some definitions, the oldest) of the newspapers still published in the United States. It was founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1801, and in 1933 became a tabloid. It was owned by Dorothy Schiff for much of the 20th Century, but after it was bought by Rupert Murdoch in 1977 it redefined "tabloid journalism" and may have reached nadir with its famous 1983 headline:

HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR

In 1980, the Columbia Journalism Review called the Post "a force for evil." As Steven D. Cuozzo, the Post's executive editor, sees it, it was the Post that "broke the elitist media stranglehold on the national agenda."

The Post ran through a series of unsteady owners after 1977: Peter S. Kalikow, a real estate magnate who went bankrupt; Steven Hoffenberg, a financier who pleaded guilty to securities fraud; and Abraham D. Hirschfeld , a true eccentric who made his fortune building parking garages. The Post was repurchased in 1988 by Murdoch's News Corporation and has taken a consistently conservative editorial viewpoint since being re-acquired by Murdoch after its near-insolvency in 1993. Peter Kalikow briefly acquired the paper in between Murdoch's two stints as owner due to the institution of federal regulations limiting foreign media ownership. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks it has been widely noted for its strident pro-war stance on the 2003 invasion of Iraq and also for being a very strong supporter of Israel. It is a tabloid which depends largely on sensational front-page headlines to grab attentions and spur sales rather than a dispassionate tone and claims of objectivity. Its sports section has been praised for its comprehensiveness. Pete Hamill began his career at the Post.

On July 6, 2004, hours before Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry announced his selection of Sen. John Edwards as his running mate, the Post published a front page story headlined:

KERRY'S CHOICE Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate

-- stating erroneously that Kerry had instead selected Dick Gephardt.

The Public Enemy song "A Letter to the New York Post" is a complaint about negative and inaccurate coverage the group received from the paper:

"Here's a letter to the New York Post/Ain't worth the paper it's printed on/Founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton/That is 190 years continuous of fucked up news"

The circulation of the Post has slumped from 700,000 in the late 1960s to 418,000 today. Despite being one of New York City's most widely read newspapers, reports made public in 1993 suggest that the Post has been run at a loss, but continues to be supported by Rupert Murdoch to keep a conservative newspaper in the City.

The New York Post is also well known for its gossip columnists Liz Smith, Cindy Adams and Elisa Lipsky-Karasz. The most well known gossip section is 'Page Six', edited by Richard Johnson, which as the name would suggest runs on page six of the paper each day. It is reported that page six is the first thing many celebrities turn to each morning.

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Last updated: 11-10-2004 16:15:47