A daily news is a publication containing current information on events. It may be printed on low-grade paper known as newsprint or distributed over the Internet as online newspapers. Historically, newspapers were read in print form by people who purchased them at newsstands and shops or at home, but now most are available online. A newspaper with high editorial independence, journalism quality, and large circulation is viewed as a “newspaper of record”.
The most common method for distribution is through print, but increasingly electronic methods are being used to distribute the news. The news is gathered by reporters, who gather and report facts, usually with the help of photographers who provide images to support the articles. Editorial staff and other journalists may specialize in a particular subject area, or be given a general assignment as columnists, writing regular opinion articles on subjects of interest to the readership. A newspaper editor is typically in charge of selecting content and coordinating the various departments that make up the newspaper.
A newspaper may be a broadsheet, or, as is the case with most British and Commonwealth newspapers, a tabloid, which is half the size of a broadsheet (380 mm x 210 mm or 23+1/2 in x 8+3/4 in). Broadsheets are often associated with more intellectual papers; however, a trend toward compact newspapers that are sometimes called “compact” is changing this perception.
In addition to the main section, most newspapers have special sections and supplements that offer specialized content such as sports, politics, and weather. These additional sections and supplements are generally sold separately from the main sections, but are credited to a single publisher. The overall manager of the newspaper is known as the editor, with variations such as editor-in-chief and executive editor, and in larger publications there are editors in charge of each subject area (often called news desks).
Traditionally, newspapers have been available to the public by purchase at shops and newsstands, and in recent times most newspapers also have made their contents available free of charge through the Internet as online newspapers. However, the availability of online newspapers has limited their reach to those who can access the Internet, and there are still many people living in remote or impoverished regions who cannot afford to subscribe to a newspaper or read it at all.
The Yale Daily News, founded on January 28, 1878, is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The News Historical Archive provides access to digitized versions of the printed Yale Daily News from its inception through 1994.
A major factor in the success of a newspaper is its ability to connect readers with events of the day, week and month. The weekly News-2-You and the Breaking News feature of the online newspaper help students with diverse needs develop reading standards for informational text by connecting them to current events and developing their skills in retelling and summarizing.