In a move that was unthinkable before the coronavirus pandemic, Tribune Publishing said Wednesday that The Daily News, once the largest-circulation newspaper in the United States, would be permanently closing its newsroom. The paper, owned since 2017 by Tronc, has been battling declining circulation and financial troubles for years. During its 20th-century heyday, the brawny metro tabloid thrived when it dug into crime and corruption, earning the nickname “The Paper That Counted Clark Kent and Lois Lane.” The Daily News won Pulitzer Prizes for commentary, feature writing, and international reporting.
Its newsroom occupied the historic art deco Daily News Building at 220 East 42nd Street, designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, with its large globe in the lobby. The building also served as the model for the Daily Planet building in the first two Superman movies. The News moved to 450 West 33rd Street, now known as Manhattan West, in 1995.
The building was a center of news in New York City, and it served as the backdrop for many of the classic scenes from the films. It was also home to the newspaper’s photo desk, and it was in the Daily News newsroom that famed World War I photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the image of the flag raising on the Mount Rushmore monument.
During its heyday, the Daily News leaned to the right and was a Democratic counterpoint to the conservative New York Post. Its stance began to soften in the 1970s, and it eventually gained a reputation as a moderately liberal alternative to the Post.