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New York Post

Website:

nypost.com
Location:

New York, NY
Type:

Daily Newspaper
Formation:

1801
Founder:

Alexander Hamilton

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The New York Post is a daily newspaper based in New York City. As of 2024 the publication is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. 1

It was established in 1801 by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. 2 The Post is arguably America’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper. 3 The newspaper began supporting Hamilton’s Federalist Party and at various times has supported Democrats and Republicans, usually as ownership changed. 4

In 2020, the Post broke a story based on information on the laptop of Hunter Biden, son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden (D). After initially being censored by social media companies, the Post’s reporting was largely confirmed by most major news outlets after that year’s presidential election. 5

Background

The New York Post is a daily newspaper established in November 1801 by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and a group of investors who supported the Federalist Party and opposed the policies of then-President Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican Party. 6 7

As of May 2024, the newspaper is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate News Corp., which owns major media outlets globally, including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal in the United States. 8

The New York Post brands include Page Six, which is celebrity and entertainment news; Decider.com, to help consumers find the best streaming content; Alexa, a lifestyle print edition focused on luxury fashion, real estate, and travel; and Post Studios. 9 10

The Post has an average daily circulation of 525,000, as of 2023. 11 The Post claims that it is America’s oldest continuously published newspaper. 12 13 That is likely true for daily newspapers; though the Hartford Courant began publishing 1764 as a semi-weekly, but did not begin publishing as a daily newspaper until 1836. 14

History

In 1801, Alexander Hamilton sought to raise $10,000 to found the New York Post. He invested $1,000 of his own money. In his biography of Hamilton, historian Ron Chernow wrote, “Hamilton hoped the Post would chart a path for other Federalist newspapers and breathe life into a nearly moribund party.” The first issue was published on November 16, 1801, starting as the New York Evening Post. 15

The newspaper started with a circulation of 600 and featured business and shipping news while engaging in political debates. 16

From December 1801 to April 1802, Hamilton wrote an 18-part series called “The Examination” under the pseudonym Lucius Crassus attacking the Jefferson administration. 17 The Post published an anti-dueling editorial years before Hamilton died in an 1804 duel with then-Vice President Aaron Burr. 18

William Coleman was the first editor of the New York Evening Post. 19 William Cullen Bryant, a poet and later abolitionist, became the second editor in 1829 and moved the newspaper to support President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. Bryant later broke with Democrats over the issue of slavery, and Post supported the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the Republican Party candidates going forward. 20

After Bryant died in 1878, railroad magnate Henry Villard bought the newspaper. The paper subsequently launched a campaign against Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party machine that controlled New York City politics. The ownership switched from the Villard family to Thomas W. Lamond in 1917. 21 A syndicate bought the newspaper five years later, which then sold it to Cyrus H. K. Curtis in 1924. J. David Stern bought the newspaper in 1936 and supported conservative policies on the editorial page. 22

In 1939, banking heiress Dorothy Schiff bought the Post at the urging of her second husband George Backer, who became publisher and editor while she was vice president and treasurer. 23 Under their management, the newspaper’s circulation dropped from 250,000 to 190,000 and the paper lost $2 million. 24 25

The Post moved from being a broadsheet to a tabloid in 1942. Schiff and Backer divorced in 1943, and Schiff married the newspaper’s features editors Theodore O. Thackrey, who became the new editor. In 1948, Thackery wrote a column supporting the presidential campaign of Henry Wallace, though Schiff supported of Republican candidate Thomas Dewey. The two divorced in 1949. 26

However, by the 1950s, Schiff began to push liberal editorial positions in the newspaper. 27 In the 1950s, the Post began to make money, and attacked then-U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, journalist Walter Winchell, and New York City official Robert Moses. 28 29

Schiff made the newspaper the “most left-liberal daily in the U.S.,” favored by residents of the Upper West Side and Greenwich Village. Some areas in the suburbs refused to sell the paper in the 1950s and 1960s, labeling it a communist publication, according to the Columbia Journalism Review. 30

Schiff, at age 73, announced in November 1976 she planned to sell the Post to Rupert Murdoch, then 49, who at the time owned 83 newspapers and 11 magazines spanning the United States, Britain, and Australia. 31 He bought the Post for $30.5 million. 32

The Post is known for its sensational headlines. Among the most famous is “HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR,” on the April 15, 1983 edition, which spawned t-shirts and other merchandise. The headline was written by then-Post editor Vinnie Musetto. 33

Murdoch was criticized for using the newspaper to promote New York Mayor Ed Koch’s (D) candidacy for governor. 34 The newspaper was highly critical of Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (D-MA). 35

News Corp owned the newspaper until 1988, when Federal Communications Commission determined he could not own both the Post and WNYW TV Channel 5 in the same market. He sold the newspaper to Peter S. Kalikow, who had a net worth of $500 million and counted among his friends fellow real estate developer Donald Trump and then-U.S. Sen. Alfonso D’Amato (R-NY). 36 37

When Kalikow declared personal bankruptcy, he was prepared to shut down the Post, but Murdoch reacquired the newspaper in 1993. 38 39 Under Murdoch’s control, the Post has leaned Republican in its editorial stances, most notably endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy in 2016. 40

Relationship with Donald Trump

The New York Post newspaper regularly covered Donald Trump in the late 1970s and onward as a real estate developer, often in the Page Six gossip section. 41

While the newspaper traditionally endorsed Republican presidential candidates, its primary endorsement of Trump in 2016 surprised many. The editorial said Trump “electrified the public,” who “reflects the best of ‘New York values’ — and offers the best hope for all Americans who rightly feel betrayed by the political class.” 42

In the early stages of his presidency, Trump’s preferred newspaper was the New York Post. 43

In late December 2020, weeks after the Electoral College determined that Joe Biden won the presidential election, the New York Post editorial board called on Trump to stop challenging the election outcome, writing, “Give it up, Mr. President — for your sake and the nation’s.” 44

When Trump announced in November 2022 that he was running for another term, the Post teased the story at the bottom of the front page, “Florida man makes announcement.” The story on page 26 had a headline, “Been there, Don that.” The news story said, “Avid golfer Donald J. Trump kicked things off at Mar-a-Lago, his resort and classified-documents library.” It did not say until the final sentence in the story, “Trump also served as the 45th president.” 45

Controversies

After the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the newspaper identified two men at the scene in a photograph who were at one point on a “be-on-the-lookout” list for law enforcement authorities. The Post ran a frontpage headline with their picture, “Bag Men” and “Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon.” However, a Department of Homeland Security agent sent an email out that said the two men were “not of interest.” The Post settled a defamation lawsuit with the men in 2014 on undisclosed terms. 46

In October 2020, Twitter banned the New York Post after it reported on Hunter Biden’s laptop, including reports of obscene images of Hunter Biden and references that indicated his father, former Vice President and then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, was aware and possibly involved in his foreign business activities. Facebook took measures to stop the spread of the article. After about two weeks, Twitter lifted the ban. 47 By 2022, most major news outlets had confirmed the authenticity of the Hunter Biden laptop. 48

Leadership

As of April 2024, Sean Giancola is the CEO and publisher of the New York Post.  Keith Poole is editor-in-chief of the New York Post Group.  Stephen Lynch is editor-in-chief of the print edition. Erin Geismaris is head of digital for the Post. 49

References

  1. Hickey, Neil. “Moment of Truth.” Columbia Journalism Review. January 2004. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20070423111034/https://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/1/gangs-hickey.asp
  2. “New York Post.” Library of Congress. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011417/
  3. “About the New York Post.” New York Post. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/about-new-york-post/
  4. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  5. Editorial Board. “Hunter Biden laptop confirmation proves Big Tech’s bias.” Washington Examiner. May 31, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/628386/hunter-biden-laptop-confirmation-proves-big-techs-bias/
  6. “New York Post.” Library of Congress. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011417/
  7. Oleksinski, Johnny. “That time Alexander Hamilton founded America’s oldest daily newspaper.” New York Post. July 3, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2020/07/03/alexander-hamilton-founded-americas-oldest-daily-newspaper/
  8. Cillizza, Chris. “The New York Post just brutally trolled Donald Trump.” CNN. November 16, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/politics/new-york-post-trump-2024-announcement/index.html
  9. “About.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-york-post/about/
  10. Press Release. “Keith Poole Named Editor-in-Chief of the New York Post Group.” January 5, 2021. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://newscorp.com/2021/01/05/keith-poole-named-editor-in-chief-of-the-new-york-post-group/
  11. “New York Post.” Statista. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1450162/circulation-of-new-york-post/
  12. “About the New York Post.” New York Post. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/about-new-york-post/
  13. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  14. “Oldest paper in the U.S.? Whoops – it wasn’t us.” Philadelphia Inquirer. May 29, 2009. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/special_packages/inquirer/20090531_Oldest_paper_in_the_U_S___Whoops_-_it_wasn_t_us.html
  15.  Oleksinski, Johnny. “That time Alexander Hamilton founded America’s oldest daily newspaper.” New York Post. July 3, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2020/07/03/alexander-hamilton-founded-americas-oldest-daily-newspaper/
  16. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  17. Oleksinski, Johnny. “That time Alexander Hamilton founded America’s oldest daily newspaper.” New York Post. July 3, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2020/07/03/alexander-hamilton-founded-americas-oldest-daily-newspaper/
  18.  Oleksinski, Johnny. “That time Alexander Hamilton founded America’s oldest daily newspaper.” New York Post. July 3, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2020/07/03/alexander-hamilton-founded-americas-oldest-daily-newspaper/
  19. “New York Post.” Ballotpedia. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/New_York_Post#:~:text=The%20New%20York%20Post%20was,Bryant%2C%20an%20abolitionist%20and%20poet
  20. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  21. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  22. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  23. Hickey, Neil. “Moment of Truth.” Columbia Journalism Review. January 2004. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20070423111034/https://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/1/gangs-hickey.asp
  24. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  25. Carmody, Deidre. “Dorothy Schiff Agrees to Sell Post To Murdoch, Australian Publisher.” New York Times. November 20, 1975. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/new-jersey-pages-dorothy-schiff-agrees-to-sell-post-to-murdoch.html
  26. Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  27. Carmody, Deidre. “Dorothy Schiff Agrees to Sell Post To Murdoch, Australian Publisher.” New York Times. November 20, 1975. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/new-jersey-pages-dorothy-schiff-agrees-to-sell-post-to-murdoch.html
  28.  Saxon, Wolfgang. “The New York Post has a long history.” New York Times. November 20, 1976. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/the-new-york-post-has-a-long-history-from-alexander-hamilton.html
  29. Carmody, Deidre. “Dorothy Schiff Agrees to Sell Post To Murdoch, Australian Publisher.” New York Times. November 20, 1975. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/new-jersey-pages-dorothy-schiff-agrees-to-sell-post-to-murdoch.html
  30. Hickey, Neil. “Moment of Truth.” Columbia Journalism Review. January 2004. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20070423111034/https://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/1/gangs-hickey.asp
  31. Carmody, Deidre. “Dorothy Schiff Agrees to Sell Post To Murdoch, Australian Publisher.” New York Times. November 20, 1975. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/20/archives/new-jersey-pages-dorothy-schiff-agrees-to-sell-post-to-murdoch.html
  32. “New York Post.” Library of Congress. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011417/
  33.  Cassidy, John. “The Godfather of Clickbait.” New Yorker. June 10, 2015. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.newyorker.com/tag/new-york-post
  34. Kurtz, Howard. “Editor Out at N.Y. Post.” Washington Post. May 26, 1989. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/05/27/editor-out-at-ny-post/e8968510-34c3-4fc2-bda5-e7a6bddd65a3/
  35.  Kurtz, Howard. “Editor Out at N.Y. Post.” Washington Post. May 26, 1989. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/05/27/editor-out-at-ny-post/e8968510-34c3-4fc2-bda5-e7a6bddd65a3/
  36. “New York Post.” Library of Congress. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011417/
  37. Kurtz, Howard. “Editor Out at N.Y. Post.” Washington Post. May 26, 1989. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/05/27/editor-out-at-ny-post/e8968510-34c3-4fc2-bda5-e7a6bddd65a3/
  38. Hickey, Neil. “Moment of Truth.” Columbia Journalism Review. January 2004. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20070423111034/https://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/1/gangs-hickey.asp
  39. “New York Post.” Library of Congress. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011417/
  40.  Editorial Board. “The Post endorses Trump for NY primary.” New York Post. April 14, 2016. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2016/04/14/the-post-endorses-donald-trump/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
  41. Mulcahy, Susan. “Confessions of a Trump Tabloid Scribe.” Politico Magazine. May/June 2016. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/04/2016-donald-trump-tabloids-new-york-post-daily-news-media-213842/
  42. Editorial Board. “The Post endorses Trump for NY primary.” New York Post. April 14, 2016. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/2016/04/14/the-post-endorses-donald-trump/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
  43. Moore, Jack. “What We Can Learn From What Donald Trump Reads.” GQ. January 24, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-reading-list
  44. Tracy, Marc. “Murdoch’s New York Post Blasts President’s Fraud Claims.” New York Times. December 28, 2020. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/business/media/new-york-post-trump-editorial.html
  45. Cillizza, Chris. “The New York Post just brutally trolled Donald Trump.” CNN. November 16, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/politics/new-york-post-trump-2024-announcement/index.html
  46. Associated Press. “ York Post settles lawsuit over ‘Bag Men’ cover following Boston Marathon bombing.” New York Daily News. October 2, 2014. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/10/02/new-york-post-settles-lawsuit-over-bag-men-cover-following-boston-marathon-bombing/
  47. Staff. “Twitter lifts freeze from New York Post account after policy reversal.” The Guardian. October 30, 2020. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/30/twitter-new-york-post-freeze-policy-reversal
  48. Editorial Board. “Hunter Biden laptop confirmation proves Big Tech’s bias.” Washington Examiner. May 31, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/628386/hunter-biden-laptop-confirmation-proves-big-techs-bias/
  49. “About the New York Post.” New York Post. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://nypost.com/about-new-york-post/
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