Founded on January 28, 1878, the Yale Daily News is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The YDN Historical Archive provides access to digitized copies of printed issues of the newspaper, scanned from original print volumes held by the Yale University Library. The archive is open to the world and includes over 140 years of YDN reporting. Many of the News’ student editors, writers and contributors have gone on to have prominent careers in journalism or public life.
The YDN has a long history of covering the arts and culture in New York City and beyond. The News has also covered a variety of important national and international political events and has often taken on controversial positions. YDN editorials have ranged from the staunchly conservative to the more liberal, and it has frequently been at the forefront of social change and innovation.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Daily News was a leading tabloid that attracted readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and other entertainment features. It fought a circulation battle with the rival New York Post and once had a national circulation of 2,000,000, but by the early 21st century its fortunes had declined substantially. During the Great Depression, the Daily News supported isolationism and favored the rich and powerful, but it eventually shifted to a more moderate position and was one of the few major newspapers to oppose the Vietnam War. It then began a steady decline, and by the early 21st century its circulation was only about half of what it had been at its peak.
The YDN is headquartered in the iconic News Building at 220 East 42nd Street, an official New York City and national landmark designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. The building was featured in the first two Superman films and served as the model for the Daily Planet buildings in the series. Today, the News publishes a broadsheet newspaper and online editions, as well as several special annual publications including the YDN Magazine, Game Day Issue, Commencement Issue and First Year Issue.