Newspapers in the United States


Newspapers in the United States have been published since the 18th century and are an integral part of the culture of the United States. Although a few newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal are sold throughout the United States, most U.S. newspapers are published for city or regional markets. The New York Times and The Washington Post are often referred to as the United States' "newspaper of record".

History

Demographics

All major metropolitan regions have newspapers, with some of them having multiple papers, though this has declined in modern times. Many smaller cities have had local newspapers, again, this having declined over time.

Archives

Many libraries provide microfilm archives of major U.S. newspapers.

Ownership

Media conglomerates like Gannett Company, The McClatchy Company, Hearst Communications and others, publish a large percentage of the nation's papers.

Publication

Most general-purpose newspapers are either printed one day a week, or are printed daily. They are in part advertising-driven, including classified ads, but also receive income from newsstand sales and subscriptions.
Major cities usually have alternative weeklies, which rely entirely on advertising, and are free to the public. A newspaper meeting particular standards of circulation, including having a subscription or mailing list, is designated as a newspaper of record. With this designation, official notices may be published, such as fictitious business name announcements.
The number of daily newspapers in the United States has declined over the past half-century, according to Editor & Publisher, the trade journal of American newspapers. In particular, the number of evening newspapers has fallen by 50% since 1970, while morning editions and Sunday editions have grown.
For comparison, in 1950, there were 1,772 daily papers while in 2000, there were 1,480 daily papers (and 766—or about half—of them were evening papers.