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133-612: The Mercury News (formerly San Jose Mercury News , often locally known as The Merc ) is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California , in the San Francisco Bay Area . It is published by the Bay Area News Group , a subsidiary of Media News Group which in turn is controlled by Alden Global Capital , a vulture fund . As of March 2013, it was the fifth largest daily newspaper in
266-774: A Whig newspaper, the Telegraph became Republican in 1854, in opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act . As editor of the San Jose Telegraph, Murdoch covered the Dred Scott case without disclosing that he once represented the Scott family. On April 28, 1857, he wrote of the frustrations of representing enslaved litigants in court: The advocate who pleads against slavery wastes his voice in its vaulted roof, and upon ears stuffed sixty years with cotton. His case
399-582: A blog , eJournal , on the Mercury News ' SiliconValley.com website. It is believed to have been the first blog by a journalist at a traditional media company. In the 2000s, he was joined by columnists-turned-bloggers Tim Kawakami and John Paczkowski. Articles dating back to June 1985 can be found online for free on the Mercury News website, with full text available on the NewsLibrary and NewsBank subscription databases. NewsBank also hosts
532-448: A 50% decline in the number of regional journalists. A 2016 study by King's College, London, found that the towns that lost their local newspapers receded from democratic values and experienced the loss of public faith in the authorities. A new trend in newspaper publishing is the introduction of personalization through on-demand printing technologies or with online news aggregator websites like Google news . Customized newspapers allow
665-527: A Korean monk claimed to have discovered an extant copy of the Jobo . The history of Middle Eastern newspapers goes back to the 19th century. Many editors were not only journalists but also writers, philosophers and politicians. With unofficial journals, these intellectuals encouraged public discourse on politics in the Ottoman and Persian Empires. Literary works of all genres were serialized and published in
798-667: A Sunday insert published by the Mercury News in the 1980s and 1990s. The Mercury News website received EPpy Awards in 1996, 1999, 2009, 2013, and 2014. In August 1996, the Mercury News published "Dark Alliance", a series of investigative articles by reporter Gary Webb . The series claimed that members of the Nicaraguan Contras , an anti-government group organized with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency , had been involved in smuggling cocaine into America to support their struggle, and as
931-515: A booming population. The newly built complex cost $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 6.97 million in 2023) and was called the largest one-story newspaper plant in the world. Civic leaders criticized the move as emblematic of the urban decay that downtown San Jose was experiencing. In 1974, Ridder merged with Knight Newspapers to form Knight Ridder . Joe Ridder was forced to retire in 1977. His nephew, P. Anthony "Tony" Ridder, succeeded him as publisher. Tony Ridder placed an emphasis on improving
1064-685: A daily newspaper from its founding in 1791 until it was acquired by The Guardian in 1993. Usually, it is a specially expanded edition, often several times the thickness and weight of the weekday editions and containing generally special sections not found in the weekday editions, such as Sunday comics and Sunday magazines (such as The New York Times Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine ). In some countries daily newspapers are not published on Christmas Day , but weekly newspapers would change their day e.g. Sunday newspapers are published on Saturday December 24, Christmas Eve when Christmas Day falls on Sunday. Some newspapers are published two times
1197-626: A downtown office building that September. According to the publishers, the Ridder Park Drive facility had become unnecessarily large for the paper, following the departure of printing operations and other staff reductions that had occurred over the years. On April 5, 2016, Bay Area News Group consolidated the San Mateo County Times and 14 other titles into the San Jose Mercury News . The paper's name
1330-618: A group of prominent citizens from interfering with a client. On April 6, 1846, Murdoch filed the initial papers for Dred Scott v. Irene Emerson , as well as Harriet v. Irene Emerson in the Circuit Court for St. Louis County . In doing so, the Scotts became the first and only married couple to file freedom suits in tandem. Murdoch also posted the bonds for the Scott family, taking responsibility for their legal costs. Historians have suggested that Murdoch may have been introduced to
1463-666: A homestead there, Murdoch worked as an attorney. He was the county's first lawyer. His two-story cabin was one of the first such residences in Michigan, and is now among the oldest surviving buildings in the state. After the death of his wife Eliza in 1835, he practiced law in Madison County, Illinois . As the Alton city attorney, Murdoch prosecuted members of proslavery and antislavery mobs that destroyed property and killed several people, including Elijah P. Lovejoy , during
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#17327652922811596-422: A large distribution system to deliver their papers to these different distributors, which typically involves delivery trucks and delivery people. In recent years, newspapers and other media have adapted to the changing technology environment by starting to offer online editions to cater to the needs of the public. In the future, the trend towards more electronic delivery of the news will continue with more emphasis on
1729-684: A large revenue center (because of other ways to buy and sell online) and ad impressions now being dispersed across many media are inputs. Newspapers are typically published daily or weekly . News magazines are also weekly, but they have a magazine format. General-interest newspapers typically publish news articles and feature articles on national and international news as well as local news . The news includes political events and politicians." , business and finance , crime, weather, and natural disasters; health and medicine , science , and computers and technology; sports ; and entertainment , society , food and cooking, clothing and home fashion, and
1862-580: A larger part of the population. In 1830, the first inexpensive " penny press " newspaper came to the market: Lynde M. Walter's Boston Transcript . Penny press papers cost about one sixth the price of other newspapers and appealed to a wider audience, including less educated and lower-income people. In France, Émile de Girardin started La Presse in 1836, introducing cheap, advertising-supported dailies to France. In 1848, August Zang , an Austrian who knew Girardin in Paris, returned to Vienna to introduce
1995-653: A local and international English-speaking public, and for tourists. The advent of the Internet has also allowed non-English-language newspapers to put out a scaled-down English version to give their newspaper a global outreach. Similarly, in many countries with a large foreign-language-speaking population or many tourists, newspapers in languages other than the national language are both published locally and imported. For example, newspapers and magazines from many countries, and locally published newspapers in many languages , are ready to be found on news-stands in central London. In
2128-483: A mixture of subscription revenue, newsstand sales , and advertising revenue. The journalism organizations that publish newspapers are themselves often metonymically called newspapers. Newspapers have traditionally been published in print (usually on cheap, low-grade paper called newsprint ). However, today most newspapers are also published on websites as online newspapers , and some have even abandoned their print versions entirely. Newspapers developed in
2261-420: A mixture of subscription revenue, newsstand sales , and advertising revenue (other businesses or individuals pay to place advertisements in the pages, including display ads , classified ads , and their online equivalents ). Some newspapers are government-run or at least government-funded; their reliance on advertising revenue and profitability is less critical to their survival. The editorial independence of
2394-558: A newspaper is thus always subject to the interests of someone, whether owners, advertisers or a government. Some newspapers with high editorial independence, high journalism quality, and large circulation are viewed as newspapers of record . Many newspapers, besides employing journalists on their own payrolls, also subscribe to news agencies (wire services) (such as the Associated Press , Reuters , or Agence France-Presse ), which employ journalists to find, assemble, and report
2527-651: A newspaper of the modern type in South Asia was by William Bolts , a Dutchman in the employ of the British East India Company in September 1768 in Calcutta. However, before he could begin his newspaper, he was deported back to Europe. In 1780 the first newsprint from this region, Hicky's Bengal Gazette , was published by an Irishman, James Augustus Hicky . He used it as a means to criticize
2660-459: A related name; e.g., The Times and The Sunday Times are distinct newspapers owned by the same company, and an article published in the latter would never be credited to The Times . In some cases a Sunday edition is an expanded version of a newspaper from the same publisher; in other cases, particularly in Britain, it may be a separate enterprise, e.g., The Observer , not affiliated with
2793-518: A result, had played a major role in creating the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980s. The series sparked three federal investigations, but other newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times later published articles alleging that the series' claims were overstated. Executive editor Jerry Ceppos, who had approved the series, eventually published a column that suggested shortcomings in the series' reporting, editing, and production, while maintaining
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#17327652922812926-498: A rising need for information which was met by concise handwritten news-sheets. In 1556, the government of Venice first published the monthly notizie scritte , which cost one gazetta , a small coin. These avvisi were handwritten newsletters and used to convey political, military, and economic news quickly and efficiently to Italian cities (1500–1700)—sharing some characteristics of newspapers though usually not considered true newspapers. However, none of these publications fully met
3059-479: A series of general obligation bonds worth $ 134 million (equivalent to $ 854 million in 2023), most of it spent on capital improvements that benefited real estate developers. It also supported a revision to the city charter that introduced a direct mayoral elections and abolished the vote of confidence for city manager. By 1967, the Mercury had risen to rank among the top six largest morning newspapers in
3192-464: A series of investigative articles by reporter Gary Webb that claimed CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking (see § Controversies ). The Mercury News promoted the upcoming series on Usenet newsgroups weeks in advance. Mercury Center published reporting and supporting material online simultaneously with the print edition. The robust online production drew significant national attention to
3325-440: A small newspaper's print run might require less than an hour of operation, meaning that if the newspaper had its own press it would sit idle most of the time. If the newspaper offers information online, webmasters and web designers may be employed to upload stories to the newspaper's website. The staff of the circulation department liaise with retailers who sell the newspaper; sell subscriptions; and supervise distribution of
3458-418: A staunchly pro-growth, anti-union agenda. It became considerably more moderate in the 1970s, reflecting new ownership and changes to the local political landscape. It endorsed John B. Anderson for president in 1980 and endorsed Democratic presidential candidates in every election from 1992 through 2016. The newspaper now known as the Mercury News began in 1851 or 1852. California legislators had just moved
3591-409: A subject area, called a beat , such as sports, religion, or science. Columnists are journalists who write regular articles recounting their personal opinions and experiences. Printers and press operators physically print the newspaper. Printing is outsourced by many newspapers, partly because of the cost of an offset web press (the most common kind of press used to print newspapers), and also because
3724-592: A surprise move, McClatchy immediately put the Mercury News and 11 other newspapers back up for sale. On April 26, Denver -based MediaNews Group (now Digital First Media) announced a planned $ 1 billion purchase of the Mercury News , two other California newspapers, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press , with the three California papers to be added to the California Newspapers Partnership (CNP). However, on June 12, 2006, federal regulators from
3857-469: A week and are known as semi-weekly publications. As the name suggests, a triweekly publishes three times a week. The Meridian Star is an example of such a publication. Weekly newspapers are published once a week, and tend to be smaller than daily papers. Some publications are published, for example, fortnightly (or biweekly in American parlance). They may have a change from normal weekly day of
3990-532: Is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics , business , sports , art, and science. They often include materials such as opinion columns , weather forecasts , reviews of local services, obituaries , birth notices, crosswords , editorial cartoons , comic strips , and advice columns . Most newspapers are businesses, and they pay their expenses with
4123-484: Is available in early editions from before midnight on the night before its cover date , further editions being printed and distributed during the night. The later editions can include breaking news which was first revealed that day, after the morning edition was already printed. Previews of tomorrow's newspapers are often a feature of late night news programs, such as Newsnight in the United Kingdom. In 1650,
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4256-441: Is available throughout the country. There is also a small group of newspapers which may be characterized as international newspapers . Some, such as The New York Times International Edition , (formerly The International Herald Tribune) have always had that focus, while others are repackaged national newspapers or "international editions" of national or large metropolitan newspapers. In some cases, articles that might not interest
4389-634: Is judged before it’s argued, and his client condemned before he is heard. Writing for the Telegraph , F. B. Murdoch came to be regarded as "among the best known political writers in the State." He supported Republican Party beliefs opposing slavery and advocated for California Territory to be free . In April 1856, prior to the Republican National Convention , the Telegraph endorsed General John C. Frémont for President and Francis Preston Blair for Vice President. He ran
4522-548: Is located at mercurynews.com, sjmercury.com, or sjmn.com. Its SiliconValley.com website focuses on the technology industry in Silicon Valley . It also publishes a morning e-mail newsletter , Good Morning Silicon Valley, that covers technology news. "Mercury News" and "e-Edition" applications are available for Android and iOS devices, as well as for the Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook . The Mercury News
4655-483: Is supervised by a designated editor. Most newspaper editors copy edit the stories for their part of the newspaper, but they may share their workload with proofreaders and fact checkers . Reporters are journalists who primarily report facts that they have gathered, and those who write longer, less news-oriented articles may be called feature writers. Photographers and graphic artists provide images and illustrations to support articles. Journalists often specialize in
4788-447: Is usually referred to as the editor. Variations on this title such as editor-in-chief, executive editor, and so on are common. For small newspapers, a single editor may be responsible for all content areas. At large newspapers, the most senior editor is in overall charge of the publication, while less senior editors may each focus on one subject area, such as local news or sports. These divisions are called news bureaus or "desks", and each
4921-558: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . Assistant managing editor David Yarnold was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2004 for a local corruption investigation. The Mercury News was also named one of the five best-designed newspapers in the world by the Society for News Design for work done in 2001. In 2007 the newspaper won a Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award for General Excellence, Class IV. Various staff writers and designers have received awards for their contributions to West magazine,
5054-547: The Bay Area News Group covers much of the San Francisco Bay Area with the notable exception of San Francisco itself. The Mercury News ' s predecessor, the Weekly Visitor , began as a Whig paper in the early 1850s but quickly switched its affiliation to the Democratic Party . The paper remained a conservative voice through the mid 20th century, when it supported pro-growth city leaders and pursued
5187-606: The Daily Evening Patriot until 1875. After Murdoch sold the paper, it became known as the San Jose Daily Herald. By 1829, Murdoch was married to Eliza Kimmel, and their son George was born on August 29 of that year in Bedford, Pennsylvania . They also had another child. The Murdochs moved to Berrien County, Michigan , in 1830. His father-in-law gave Eliza and her siblings each several acres of
5320-665: The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation , is often recognized as the first newspaper. The second newspaper, the German Avisa , was published from 1609 in Wolfenbüttel . Both newspapers distinguished themselves from other printed material by being published on a regular basis. They reported on a variety of current events to a broad public audience. Within a few decades, newspapers could be found in all
5453-499: The Industrial Revolution enabled newspapers to become an even more widely circulated means of communication, as new printing technologies made printing less expensive and more efficient. In 1814, The Times (London) acquired a printing press capable of making 1,100 impressions per hour. Soon, this press was adapted to print on both sides of a page at once. This innovation made newspapers cheaper and thus available to
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5586-555: The Mercury ' s publisher in the spring of 1861, later acquiring a controlling interest in the paper along with a partner, Benjamin H. Cottle. The paper published daily as the San Jose Daily Mercury for three months in the fall of 1861, then from August 1869 to April 1870 with the addition of J. J. Conmy as partner and again from March 11, 1872, after the purchase of the Daily Guide . In 1878, Owen formed
5719-418: The Mercury News ' return to the downtown area, Digital First Media sold the suburban campus to Super Micro Computer, Inc. , which renamed it " Supermicro Green Computing Park ". Older San Jose Mercury News newsboxes have black, white, and green stripes, while newer Mercury News newsboxes bear the paper's logo in white against a blue background. The Mercury News operates a paywalled website, which
5852-490: The Mercury News campus on Ridder Park Drive in North San Jose. County Supervisor Dave Cortese approached the Mercury News about moving into the former San Jose City Hall on North First Street, but the paper ended up returning downtown. In June 2014, printing and production of the Mercury News and other daily newspapers moved to Bay Area News Group's Concord and Hayward facilities. The Mercury News moved into
5985-664: The Mercury Printing and Publishing Company . In 1881, Owen proposed to light San Jose with a moonlight tower . The San Jose electric light tower was dedicated that year. The Mercury boasted that San Jose was the first town west of the Rocky Mountains lighted by electricity. The Mercury merged with the Times Publishing Company, which was owned by Charles M. Shortridge , in 1884. The Daily Morning Times and Daily Mercury briefly became
6118-654: The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph . It is currently published as an English-language weekly from its offices at 1040 Belvédère, suite 218, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. In 1808, the Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro had its first edition, printed in devices brought from England, publishing news favourable for the government of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves since it was produced by
6251-530: The San Francisco Bay Area or less than two percent of the Mercury News ' s 282,488 daily subscribers. In December 1994, the Mercury News began beta-testing a companion website, Mercury Center Web, which on January 20, 1995, became the country's first news website. Subscribers no longer needed AOL to access the Mercury News ' s online content, and the paper no longer had to share advertising revenue with AOL. The site ran on Netscape 's Netsuite Web server, with connectivity provided by Netcom . Access to
6384-543: The San Jose Mercury and San Jose News , two daily newspapers that merged to form the Mercury News . The San Jose Mercury ' s name was a play on words. The word "mercury" refers to the importance of the mercury industry during the California Gold Rush . At the time, the nearby New Almaden mine (now Almaden Quicksilver County Park ) was North America's largest producer of mercury, which
6517-778: The San Jose Weekly Telegraph until the fall of 1860, when he sold it to William Neill Slocum. In 1861, the paper was merged into the San Jose Weekly Mercury, which continues today as The Mercury News . In 1863, Francis B. Murdoch bought out the San Jose Tribune and renamed it as the San Jose Weekly Patriot , which became a daily paper after a few years. He ran the San Jose Daily Patriot and
6650-530: The Santa Clara Valley . It became the Mercury News in 1983 after a series of mergers. During much of the 20th century, it was owned by Knight Ridder . Because of its location in Silicon Valley , the Mercury News has covered many of the key events in the history of computing, and was a pioneer in delivering news online. It was the first American newspaper to publish in three languages (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese). The paper's name derives from
6783-609: The Times-Mercury , while the Weekly Times and Weekly Mercury briefly become the Times-Weekly Mercury . In 1885, both publications adopted the San Jose Mercury name. That year, Owen sold his interest in the paper and moved to San Francisco. In late 1900, Everis A. Hayes and his brother Jay purchased the Mercury . In August 1901, they purchased the San Jose Daily Herald , an evening paper, and formed
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#17327652922816916-546: The U.S. Department of Justice asked for more time to review the purchase, citing possible antitrust concerns over MediaNews' ownership of other newspapers in the region. Although approval by regulators and completion of MediaNews' acquisition was announced on August 2, 2006, a lawsuit claiming antitrust violations by MediaNews and the Hearst Corporation had also been filed in July 2006. The suit, which sought to undo
7049-755: The Vietnam War . A foreign correspondent stationed at the Hanoi bureau held an annual town hall meeting with the Vietnamese-American community in San Jose. Initially, community members staged protests accusing the paper of siding with the Communist government in Vietnam by opening the bureau. The Mercury News launched the free, Spanish-language weekly Nuevo Mundo (New World) in 1996 and
7182-532: The 10,000 acres that he owned to establish their own homesteads. The cabin in which they lived was one of the first two-story cabins built in the state of Michigan and, now located at Courthouse Square in Berrien Springs, it is also one of the oldest surviving structures in the state. In 1835, the Murdochs left Michigan, headed for New Orleans , for a better climate for Eliza's health. She died along
7315-514: The 17th century as information sheets for merchants . By the early 19th century, many cities in Europe, as well as North and South America, published newspapers. Some newspapers with high editorial independence, high journalism quality, and large circulation are viewed as newspapers of record . With the popularity of the Internet , many newspapers are now digital, with their news presented online as
7448-513: The 1837 Alton riot. According to historical accounts, Murdoch was "fair and impartial" and applied the law equally on both sides, although he clearly sympathized with opponents of slavery. Despite his efforts, Murdoch was unable to convince a jury to convict anyone. Disillusioned, he resigned and closed his law practice in Illinois. Murdoch moved to St. Louis, where he practiced law with two other lawyers, Ferdinand Risque and Gustavus Bird. He
7581-639: The British rule through journalism. The Jobo , discussed in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty , was published in 1577 by King Seonjo 's ministers. As the King had not given permission to print the news bulletins, Jobo was discontinued, and 30 ministers were sentenced "to a severe punishment". It was printed daily, and covered a range of topics, including weather, constellations, and current affairs. In 2017,
7714-608: The East Bay. Originally, the Mercury and News published from various locations in downtown San Jose. From February 1967 to September 2014, the papers were headquartered in a 36-acre (15 ha) campus in suburban North San Jose, abutting the Nimitz Freeway (then State Route 17, now Interstate 880 ). The Web staff was originally co-located with the newsroom staff but moved to downtown San Jose in December 1996. Following
7847-492: The Internet, social media and other electronic delivery methods. However, while the method of delivery is changing, the newspaper and the industry still have a niche in the world. As of 2007, virtually all major printed newspapers produced online editions distributed over the Internet, which, depending on the country, may be regulated by journalism organizations such as the Press Complaints Commission in
7980-808: The Mercury Herald Company. In 1913, the two papers were consolidated into a single morning paper, the San Jose Mercury Herald . In 1942, the Mercury Herald Company purchased the San Jose News (which was founded in 1851) but continued to publish both papers, the Mercury Herald in the morning and the News in the evening, with a combined Sunday edition called the Mercury Herald News . The Herald name
8113-408: The Scotts through Reverend John R. Anderson of the Second African Baptist Church , where Harriet Scott was a member. Anderson had also lived in Alton, Illinois, where he worked as a typesetter for Elijah Lovejoy's abolitionist newspaper. The Scotts' freedom suits were the last ones he filed in St. Louis, and Murdoch was unable to personally take their cases to trial. Later that year, his mortgage
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#17327652922818246-411: The UK. But as some publishers find their print-based models increasingly unsustainable, Web-based "newspapers" have also started to appear, such as the Southport Reporter in the UK and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer , which stopped publishing in print after 149 years in March 2009 and became an online-only paper. Since 2005 in the UK more than 200 regional newspapers have closed down resulting in
8379-831: The US state of Florida , so many tourists from the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec visit for long stays during the winter (" snowbirds ") that some newsstands and stores sell French-language newspapers such as Le Droit . General newspapers cover all topics, with different emphasis. While at least mentioning all topics, some might have good coverage of international events of importance; others might concentrate more on national or local entertainment or sports. Specialised newspapers might concentrate more specifically on, for example, financial matters. There are publications covering exclusively sports, or certain sports, horse-racing, theatre, and so on, although they may no longer be called newspapers. For centuries newspapers were printed on paper and supplied physically to readers either by
8512-430: The United States , with a daily circulation of 611,194. As of 2018, the paper has a circulation of 324,500 daily and 415,200 on Sundays. As of 2021, this further declined. The Bay Area News Group no longer reports its circulation, but rather "readership". For 2021, they reported a "readership" of 312,700 adults daily. First published in 1851, the Mercury News is the last remaining English-language daily newspaper covering
8645-412: The West Coast in May 1852, settling in San Jose, California , in September of that year. He was admitted to the bar of Santa Clara County and the District Court in San Francisco. In 1853, Murdoch took over the Santa Clara Register from John C. Emerson and changed its name to the San Jose Telegraph. The Telegraph offices were above a saloon between First and Market Street in San Jose. Previously
8778-407: The administration's flaws. The first newspaper in Peru was El Peruano , established in October 1825 and still published today, but with several name changes. During the Tang dynasty in China (618–906), the Kaiyuan Za Bao published the government news; it was block-printed onto paper. It is sometimes considered one of the earliest newspapers to be published. The first recorded attempt to found
8911-763: The advertising department may include graphic designers , who design ads according to the customers' specifications and the department's policies. In an advertising-free newspaper , there is no advertising department. Francis B. Murdoch Francis Butter Murdoch (March 21, 1805 – May 10, 1882) was an American attorney and newspaper publisher. As a lawyer, he practiced law in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri, and initiated freedom suits for Dred Scott and Harriet Robinson Scott in 1846. Between 1840 and 1847, Murdoch filed nearly one-third of all freedom suits in St. Louis, and secured freedom for many of his clients who had been enslaved, including Polly Berry and her daughter, Lucy A. Delaney . Before that, Murdoch
9044-878: The aforementioned news, information and opinions, they include weather forecasts; criticism and reviews of the arts (including literature , film , television , theater , fine arts , and architecture ) and of local services such as restaurants; obituaries , birth notices and graduation announcements; entertainment features such as crosswords, horoscopes, editorial cartoons , gag cartoons , and comic strips ; advice columns, food , and other columns; and radio and television listings (program schedules). Newspapers have classified ad sections where people and businesses can buy small advertisements to sell goods or services; as of 2013, an increase in Internet websites for selling goods, such as Craigslist and eBay has led to significantly less classified ad sales for newspapers. Most newspapers are businesses, and they pay their expenses with
9177-437: The age of 19. He read law under Judge Alexander Thomson and was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania. Francis Murdoch and Eliza Kimmel were members of the Presbyterian Church at Bedford, where they were married in 1828. In 1830, Murdoch moved with his wife Eliza's family to Michigan, where he co-founded and laid out the city of Berrien Springs, Michigan , later the county seat for Berrien County . Aside from establishing
9310-435: The amount of advertising it ran. The Mercury News was one of the first daily newspapers in the United States to have an online presence, and was the first to deliver full content and breaking news online. It launched a service called Mercury Center on America Online in 1993, followed by the country's first news website in 1995 (see § Online presence ). Mercury Center shut down its AOL service in July 1996, leaving only
9443-470: The arts . Usually, the paper is divided into sections for each of those major groupings (labelled A, B, C, and so on, with pagination prefixes yielding page numbers A1-A20, B1-B20, C1-C20, and so on). Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing editorials written by an editor (or by the paper's editorial board) and expressing an opinion on a public issue, opinion articles called " op-eds " written by guest writers (which are typically in
9576-429: The classical criteria for proper newspapers, as they were typically not intended for the general public and restricted to a certain range of topics. The first mechanical, movable type printing that allowed the mass production of printed books was invented by Johann Gutenberg around 1450. In the 50 years after Gutenberg started printing, an estimated 500,000 books were in circulation, printed on about 1,000 presses across
9709-610: The continent. Gutenberg's invention was a simple device, but it launched a revolution marked by repeated advances in technology and, as a result, a popularization of the ideals of liberty and freedom of information exchange. The emergence of the new media in the 17th century has to be seen in close connection with the spread of the printing press from which the publishing press derives its name. The German-language Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien , printed from 1605 onwards by Johann Carolus in Strasbourg in
9842-412: The country by circulation, boosted by unabated growth into the suburbs, while the News ran the most advertising of any evening newspaper in the country. In February 1967, the Mercury and News moved from a cramped former grocery store in downtown San Jose to a 36-acre (15 ha) campus in suburban North San Jose. A 185,000-square-foot (17,200 m) main building could contain more presses to serve
9975-448: The desegregation of San Jose Unified School District and in 1978 argued against Proposition 13 . In the 1980s, Ridder supported Mayor Tom McEnery 's efforts to redevelop the downtown area, including the construction of San Jose Arena and The Tech Museum of Innovation . In 1983, the Mercury and News merged into a single seven-day paper, the San Jose Mercury News , with separate morning and afternoon editions. The afternoon edition
10108-627: The enslaved plaintiffs. Murdoch represented Polly Berry and her daughter Lucy A. Delaney , together with lawyer Edward Bates . In Delaney's autobiography, From the Darkness Cometh the Light, he is referred to as "Mr. Murdock." He also represented Diana Cephas and her son Josiah. Murdoch helped many of his clients establish their freedom, but in doing so, angered and annoyed slaveholders and proslavery groups. On one occasion in 1843, he found it necessary to seek an injunction to prevent
10241-674: The first American daily. In 1752, John Bushell published the Halifax Gazette , which claims to be "Canada's first newspaper". However, its official descendant, the Royal Gazette , is a government publication for legal notices and proclamations rather than a proper newspaper; In 1764, the Quebec Gazette was first printed 21 June 1764 and remains the oldest continuously published newspaper in North America as
10374-472: The first daily newspaper appeared, Einkommende Zeitung , published by Timotheus Ritzsch in Leipzig , Germany. In the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries, unlike most other countries, daily newspapers do not publish on Sundays. In the past there were independent Sunday newspapers; nowadays the same publisher often produces a Sunday newspaper, distinct in many ways from the daily, usually with
10507-400: The free, Vietnamese-language weekly Viet Mercury in 1999. Viet Mercury was the first Vietnamese-language newspaper published by an English-language daily. It competed against a crowded field of 14 Vietnamese-owned community newspapers , including four dailies. The Mercury News benefited from its status as the major daily newspaper in Silicon Valley during the dot-com bubble . It led
10640-646: The full text of articles from 1886 to 1922. The San José Public Library 's website hosts thousands of news clips of articles from 1920 to 1979. Much of Gillmor's eJournal is preserved on the Bayosphere website. The newspaper has earned several awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes , one in 1986 for reporting regarding political corruption in the Ferdinand Marcos administration in the Philippines , and one in 1990 for their comprehensive coverage of
10773-571: The goal. The decline in advertising revenues affected both the print and online media as well as all other mediums; print advertising was once lucrative but has greatly declined, and the prices of online advertising are often lower than those of their print precursors. Besides remodelling advertising, the internet (especially the web ) has also challenged the business models of the print-only era by crowdsourcing both publishing in general (sharing information with others) and, more specifically, journalism (the work of finding, assembling, and reporting
10906-569: The governor allowed The Boston News-Letter to be published and it became the first continuously published newspaper in the colonies. Soon after, weekly papers began being published in New York and Philadelphia. These early newspapers followed the British format and were usually four pages long. They mostly carried news from Britain and content depended on the editor's interests. In 1783, the Pennsylvania Evening Post became
11039-446: The initiatives the paper had started in the 1990s. In June 2005, the Mercury News closed its Hanoi bureau. On October 21, it also announced the closure of Nuevo Mundo and the sale of Viet Mercury to a group of Vietnamese-American businessmen; however, the deal fell through, and Viet Mercury published its final issue on November 11, 2005. On March 13, 2006, The McClatchy Company purchased Knight Ridder for $ 4.5 billion. In
11172-666: The late Han dynasty (second and third centuries AD). Between 713 and 734, the Kaiyuan Za Bao ("Bulletin of the Court") of the Chinese Tang dynasty published government news; it was handwritten on silk and read by government officials. In 1582, there was the first reference to privately published newssheets in Beijing, during the late Ming dynasty . In early modern Europe , the increased cross-border interaction created
11305-426: The local gay community or indie rock enthusiasts within a city or region. A daily newspaper is printed every day, sometimes with the exception of Sundays and occasionally Saturdays (and some major holidays). Saturday and, where they exist, Sunday editions of daily newspapers tend to be larger, include more specialized sections (e.g., on arts, films, entertainment) and advertising inserts, and cost more. Typically,
11438-467: The local distribution or in some cases by mail, for example for British expatriates living in India or Hong Kong who subscribed to British newspapers. Newspapers can be delivered to subscribers homes and/or businesses by a paper's own delivery people, sent via the mail , sold at newsstands , grocery stores , and convenience stores , and delivered to libraries and bookstores . Newspaper organizations need
11571-526: The main medium that most of the readers use, with the print edition being secondary (for the minority of customers that choose to pay for it) or, in some cases, retired. The decline of newspapers in the early 21st century was at first largely interpreted as a mere print-versus-digital contest in which digital beats print. The reality is different and multivariate, as newspapers now routinely have online presence; anyone willing to subscribe can read them digitally online. Factors such as classified ads no longer being
11704-439: The major cities of Europe, from Venice to London. The Dutch Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. ("Courant from Italy, Germany, etc.") of 1618 was the first to appear in folio- rather than quarto-size . Amsterdam, a center of world trade, quickly became home to newspapers in many languages, often before they were published in their own country. The first English-language newspaper, Corrant out of Italy, Germany, etc. ,
11837-461: The majority of these newspapers' staff members work Monday to Friday, so the Sunday and Monday editions largely depend on content made in advance or content that is syndicated. Most daily newspapers are sold in the morning. Afternoon or evening papers, once common but now scarce, are aimed more at commuters and office workers. In practice (though this may vary according to country), a morning newspaper
11970-404: The news industry in business coverage of the valley's high-tech industry, attracting readers from around the world. Time called the Mercury News the most technologically savvy newspaper in the country. The tech industry's growth fueled growth in the paper's classified advertising , particularly for employment listings. For 20 years, the Mercury News was one of the country's top newspapers in
12103-543: The news section or B770 for a press release in the business section. The Mercury Center staff comprised both news reporters and business "senders", who posted press releases online in addition to vetted content. Initially, the service had difficulty attracting users, prompting the paper to add a telephone and fax hotline, News Call, in November 1993. By early 1994, Mercury Center had added 5,100 subscribers to AOL, representing less than 20% of AOL's 30,000 subscribers in
12236-800: The news). Besides, the rise of news aggregators , which bundle linked articles from many online newspapers and other sources, influences the flow of web traffic . Increasing paywalling of online newspapers may be counteracting those effects. The oldest newspaper still published is the Ordinari Post Tijdender , which was established in Stockholm in 1645. Newspapers typically meet four criteria: In Ancient Rome , Acta Diurna , or government announcement bulletins, were produced. They were carved in metal or stone and posted in public places. In China, early government-produced news-sheets, called Dibao , circulated among court officials during
12369-399: The news, then sell the content to the various newspapers. This is a way to avoid duplicating the expense of reporting from around the world. c. 2005 , there were approximately 6,580 daily newspaper titles in the world selling 395 million print copies a day (in the U.S., 1,450 titles selling 55 million copies). The late 2000s–early 2010s global recession , combined with
12502-476: The newspaper itself—editorial, production/printing, circulation, and advertising, although they are frequently referred to by a variety of other names. Most papers also have the non-newspaper-specific departments found in other businesses of comparable size, such as accounting, marketing, human resources, and IT. Throughout the English-speaking world, the person who selects the content for the newspaper
12635-595: The newspaper's content to bring together communities of interest . It launched as part of America Online on May 10, 1993, at AOL keyword MERCURY . It was the second news service on AOL, after the Chicago Tribune opened Chicago Online in 1992. The paper sent floppy disks to subscribers for accessing Mercury Center. The service featured a large amount of content for free: the print paper's full content, supplementary material such as documents and audio clips, stock quotes, and about 200 stories that did not make
12768-607: The official press service of the Portuguese crown. In 1821, after the ending of the ban of private newspaper circulation, appears the first non-imperial printed publication, Diário do Rio de Janeiro , though there existed already the Correio Braziliense , published by Hipólito José da Costa at the same time as the Gazeta , but from London and with forcefully advocated political and critical ideas, aiming to expose
12901-445: The paper, merging it into the San Jose Telegraph . W. A. Slocum assumed control of the Telegraph in 1860 and merged it with the San Jose Mercury or Weekly Mercury to become the Telegraph and Mercury . William N. Slocum soon dropped Telegraph from the name. By this point, the Mercury was one of two newspapers publishing in San Jose. James Jerome Owen – a forty-niner and former Republican New York assemblyman – became
13034-437: The papers' reportage, to better reflect Knight's reputation for investigative journalism. After the merger, the papers moderated their formerly staunch pro-growth agenda, and coverage of local issues became more balanced. The editorial board expressed only minimal opposition to a 1978 measure that abolished at-large city council elections, seen as favorable to deep-pocketed developers, in favor of council districts. It supported
13167-636: The press as well. The first newspapers in the Ottoman Empire were owned by foreigners living there who wanted to make propaganda about the Western world. The earliest was printed in 1795 by the Palais de France in Pera . Indigenous Middle Eastern journalism started in 1828, when Muhammad Ali , Khedive of Egypt, ordered the local establishment of the gazette Vekayi-i Misriye ( Egyptian Affairs ). It
13300-532: The previous year. By 2000, the paper had a Sunday circulation of 327,000 and $ 341 million in annual revenue, $ 118 million of it from job listings. In 2001, circulation rose to 289,413 daily and 332,669 Sundays. The collapse of the dot-com bubble impacted the classified advertising that sustained the newspaper's business operations. Additionally, newspapers across the industry faced serious competition to their job listings from websites such as Monster.com , CareerBuilder , and Craigslist . Cost-cutting began affecting
13433-471: The print edition. A forum enabled readers to converse with each other and give feedback to reporters. However, the service's most popular content lie behind a paywall : back issues from 1985 onward and a "NewsHound" clipping service were popular with business users. Readers could enter alphanumeric codes, which appeared throughout the print paper, to quickly access online versions of articles that did not make print. Examples included N620 for an article in
13566-430: The printed newspapers through the mail, by newspaper carriers , at retailers, and through vending machines. Free newspapers do not sell subscriptions, but they still have a circulation department responsible for distributing the newspapers. Sales staff in the advertising department not only sell ad space to clients such as local businesses, but also help clients design and plan their advertising campaigns. Other members of
13699-499: The purchase of both the Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times , was scheduled to go to trial on April 30, 2007. While extending until that date a preliminary injunction that prevented the collaboration of local distribution and national advertising sales by the two media conglomerates, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston on December 19, 2006, expressed doubt over the legality of the purchase. On April 25, 2007, days before
13832-433: The rapid growth of free web-based alternatives, has helped cause a decline in advertising and circulation, as many papers had to retrench operations to stanch the losses. Worldwide annual revenue approached $ 100 billion in 2005–7, then plunged during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008–9. Revenue in 2016 fell to only $ 53 billion, hurting every major publisher as their efforts to gain online income fell far short of
13965-416: The reader can select how much of each section (politics, sports, arts, etc.) they wish to see in their news. In the U.S., the overall manager or chief executive of the newspaper is the publisher. In small newspapers, the owner of the publication (or the largest shareholder in the corporation that owns the publication) is usually the publisher. Most newspapers have four main departments devoted to publishing
14098-462: The reader to create their individual newspaper through the selection of individual pages from multiple publications. This "Best of" approach allows revival of the print-based model and opens up a new distribution channel to increase coverage beneath the usual boundaries of distribution. Customized newspapers online have been offered by MyYahoo , I-Google , CRAYON, ICurrent.com, Kibboko.com, Twitter . times and many others. With these online newspapers ,
14231-609: The same methods with Die Presse (which was named for and frankly copied Girardin's publication). While most newspapers are aimed at a broad spectrum of readers, usually geographically defined, some focus on groups of readers defined more by their interests than their location: for example, there are daily and weekly business newspapers (e.g., The Wall Street Journal and India Today ) and sports newspapers. More specialist still are some weekly newspapers, usually free and distributed within limited regional areas; these may serve communities as specific as certain immigrant populations,
14364-450: The same section as the editorial), and columns that express the personal opinions of columnists , usually offering analysis and synthesis that attempts to translate the raw data of the news into information telling the reader "what it all means" and persuading them to concur. Papers also include articles that have no byline ; these articles are written by staff writers. A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers. Besides
14497-419: The series. Within days, more than 2,500 websites linked to Mercury Center's "Dark Alliance" section, and the site received 100,000 daily page views over the usual traffic for weeks. Executive editor Jerome Ceppos eventually distanced the paper from the series, but it continued to receive attention, especially from online conspiracy theorists. On October 26, 1999, technology columnist Dan Gillmor began writing
14630-469: The site cost $ 4.95 per month, with a discount for print subscribers. In October 1995, CareerBuilder.com launched as a partnership between the Boston Globe , Chicago Tribune , Los Angeles Times , Mercury News , New York Times , and Washington Post . Mercury Center shut down its AOL service in July 1996, leaving only the website. In August 1996, the Mercury News published "Dark Alliance",
14763-664: The state capital from San Jose to Vallejo , leading to the failure of San Jose's first two newspapers, the Argus and State Journal . A group of three businessmen led by John C. Emerson bought the papers' presses to found the San Jose Weekly Visitor . The Weekly Visitor began as a Whig paper but quickly switched its affiliation to the Democratic Party . It was renamed the Santa Clara Register in 1852. The following year, Francis B. Murdoch took over
14896-456: The story was correct "on many important points". The series was turned into a 1998 book by the same name , also by Webb, and an account of the controversy surrounding the series was published as Kill the Messenger in 2006. Both were the basis for the 2014 film Kill the Messenger . The Mercury News publishes the following community weeklies: Daily newspaper A newspaper
15029-503: The trial was scheduled to begin, the parties reached a settlement in which MediaNews preserved its acquisitions. The Mercury News and Contra Costa Times were placed under CNP's local subsidiary, the Bay Area News Group . Meanwhile, layoffs continued at the Mercury News . Around December 2016, 101 employees were laid off, including 40 in the newsroom. In 2013, MediaNews Group and 21st Century Media merged to form Digital First Media . In April 2013, MediaNews announced that it would sell
15162-782: The way of consumption ( tuberculosis ) and was buried in Ohio at the Oak Dale Cemetery in the town of Urbana . Murdoch married Mary Johnson in 1838 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the daughter of Colonel John W. Johnson , a former mayor of St. Louis, and Tapissee, the daughter of the Sauk Chief Keokuk . In 1839, Murdoch became active in the Swedenborgian Church and hosted occasional meetings in his home. In 1844, Murdoch married Mary E. Graham (1827–1870),
15295-601: The website. At its peak in 2001, the Mercury News had 400 employees in its newsroom, 15 bureaus, $ 288 million in annual revenue, and profit margins above 30%. In 1998, Knight Ridder moved its headquarters from Miami to the Knight-Ridder Building in San Jose, which was seen as an acknowledgment of the central role that online news would play in the company's future. Mercury Center ended its paywall in May 1998, after posting 1.2 million monthly unique visitors
15428-535: The week during the Christmas period depending the day of the week Christmas Day is falling on. A local newspaper serves a region such as a city, or part of a large city. Almost every market has one or two newspapers that dominate the area. Large metropolitan newspapers often have large distribution networks, and can be found outside their normal area, sometimes widely, sometimes from fewer sources. Most nations have at least one newspaper that circulates throughout
15561-583: The whole country: a national newspaper . Some national newspapers, such as the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal , are specialised (in these examples, on financial matters). There are many national newspapers in the United Kingdom , but only a few in the United States and Canada . In Canada, The Globe and Mail is sold throughout the country. In the United States, in addition to national newspapers as such, The New York Times
15694-408: The wider range of readers are omitted from international editions; in others, of interest to expatriates , significant national news is retained. As English became the international language of business and technology, many newspapers formerly published only in non-English languages have also developed English-language editions. In places as varied as Jerusalem and Mumbai , newspapers are printed for
15827-493: Was also admitted to the United States District Court for Missouri. Murdoch, Risque and senior partner Bird sometimes worked together on freedom suits, but also worked individually. Francis B. Murdoch has been called "one of the most important slave attorneys in the history of the St. Louis freedom suits." He filed roughly one-third of all known freedom suits between 1840 and 1847, always on behalf of
15960-418: Was discontinued in 1995, leaving only the morning edition. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Mercury News published West magazine as a Sunday insert. In the 1990s, the Mercury News expanded its coverage of the area's ethnic communities, to national acclaim, hiring Vietnamese-speaking reporters for the first time. In 1994, it became the first of two American dailies to open a foreign bureau in Vietnam after
16093-527: Was dropped in 1950. Herman Ridder 's Northwest Publications (later Ridder Publications) purchased the Mercury and News in 1952. During the mid 20th century, the papers took largely conservative, pro-growth positions. Publisher Joe Ridder was a vocal proponent of San Jose City Manager A. P. Hamann 's development agenda, which emphasized urban sprawl within an ever-expanding city limits. Ridder counted on increasing population to lead to increased newspaper subscriptions and advertising sales. The paper supported
16226-521: Was first paper written in Ottoman Turkish and Arabic on opposite pages, and later in Arabic only, under the title " al-Waqa'i'a al-Masriya ". The first non-official Turkish newspaper, Ceride-i Havadis (Register of Events), was published by an Englishman, William Churchill, in 1840. The first private newspaper to be published by Turkish journalists, Tercüman-ı Ahvâl (Interpreter of Events),
16359-655: Was first published in Sweden in 1645, and is the oldest newspaper still in existence, though it now publishes solely online. Opregte Haarlemsche Courant from Haarlem , first published in 1656, is the oldest paper still printed. It was forced to merge with the newspaper Haarlems Dagblad in 1942 when Germany occupied the Netherlands. Since then the Haarlems Dagblad has appeared with the subtitle Oprechte Haerlemse Courant 1656 . Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny
16492-492: Was foreclosed, and his house was sold by the sheriff. His creditor, former Judge Bryan Mullanphy , had had a long-running dispute with one of his law partners. Murdoch abruptly left town with his wife and nearly all of his children, taking them to one of his brothers in Michigan, before eventually settling in California. One of his daughters stayed behind in St. Louis, in the care of his father-in-law. Murdoch headed to
16625-632: Was founded by İbrahim Şinasi and Agah Efendi and issued in 1860. The first newspaper in Iran, Kaghaz-e Akhbar (The Newspaper), was created for the government by Mirza Saleh Shirazi in 1837. The first journals in the Arabian Peninsula appeared in Hijaz , once it had become independent of Ottoman rule, towards the end of World War I. One of the earliest women to sign her articles in the Arab press
16758-678: Was needed for hydraulic gold mining . In addition, Mercury is the Roman messenger of the gods as well as the god of commerce and thieves, known for his swiftness, so the name Mercury is commonly used for newspapers without the quicksilver association. The paper's local coverage and circulation is concentrated in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County . With the Mercury News , East Bay Times , Marin Independent Journal , and Silicon Valley Community Newspapers ,
16891-406: Was one of the first daily newspapers in the United States to have an online presence and was the first to deliver full content and breaking news online. In 1990, editor Robert Ingle sent a report to Tony Ridder, then the head of Knight Ridder , on the company's future in electronic media after the failure of Viewtron four years earlier. Ingle proposed a Mercury Center online service that would use
17024-567: Was published in Kraków , Poland in 1661. The first successful English daily, The Daily Courant , was published from 1702 to 1735. In Boston in 1690, Benjamin Harris published Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick . This is considered the first newspaper in the American colonies even though only one edition was published before the paper was suppressed by the government. In 1704,
17157-675: Was published in 1631, La Gazette (originally published as Gazette de France ). The first newspaper in Italy, in accordance with the oldest issue still preserved, was Di Genova published in 1639 in Genoa . The first newspaper in Portugal, A Gazeta da Restauração , was published in 1641 in Lisbon . The first Spanish newspaper, Gaceta de Madrid , was published in 1661. Post- och Inrikes Tidningar (founded as Ordinari Post Tijdender )
17290-696: Was published in Amsterdam in 1620. In the same year, the Antwerp periodial Nieuwe Tijdinghen was published by Abraham Verhoeven . In 1621, Corante, or weekely newes from Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, France and the Low Countreys was published in England by an "N.B." (generally thought to be either Nathaniel Butter or Nicholas Bourne) and Thomas Archer. The first newspaper in France
17423-630: Was shortened to The Mercury News . The Mercury News is the largest tenant in the Towers @ 2nd high-rise office complex in downtown San Jose. Business functions occupy the seventh floor of 4 North Second Street, while news staff and executives occupy the eighth floor, for a total of 33,186 square feet (3,083.1 m). Printing and production of the Mercury News take place at the Bay Area News Group's facilities in Concord and Hayward in
17556-623: Was the city attorney in Alton, Illinois , where he unsuccessfully prosecuted rioters who killed Elijah Parish Lovejoy , an anti-slavery newspaper publisher, in 1837. After moving to California in 1852, Murdoch became a newspaper publisher and editor of the San Jose Telegraph , which later became The Mercury News , and founded the San Jose Patriot . Murdoch was born on March 21, 1805, in Cumberland , Allegany County, Maryland . He attended an academy in Bedford, Pennsylvania , at
17689-503: Was the female medical practitioner Galila Tamarhan , who contributed articles to a medical magazine called " Ya'asub al-Tib " (Leader in Medicine) in the 1860s. By the early 19th century, many cities in Europe, as well as North and South America, published newspaper-type publications though not all of them developed in the same way; content was vastly shaped by regional and cultural preferences. Advances in printing technology related to
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