The Miami News
Encyclopedia
The Miami News was the dominant evening newspaper in Miami, Florida
for most of the 20th century, its chief concurrent competitor being the morning-edition of The Miami Herald
. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called The Miami Metropolis. The Metropolis had become a daily (except Sunday) paper of eight pages by 1903. On June 4, 1923, former Ohio
governor James Middleton Cox bought the Metropolis and renamed it the Miami Daily News-Metropolis. On January 4, 1925 the newspaper became the Miami Daily News, and published its first Sunday edition.
Cox had a new building erected for the newspaper, and the Miami News Tower was dedicated on July 25, 1925. This building later became famous as the Freedom Tower
. Also on July 25, 1925, the News published a 508 page edition, which still holds the record for the largest page-count for a newspaper.
The News was edited by Bill Baggs
from 1957 until 1969. After that, it was edited by Sylvan Meyer until he was fired in 1973, when he removed his name from the masthead the day an owner-ordered endorsement of Nixon ran. Its final editor was Howard Kleinberg, a longtime staffer and author of a comprehensive history of the newspaper.
In 1973 the News moved in with Miami's morning paper, The Miami Herald at One Herald Plaza, sharing its production facilities while maintaining a separate editorial staff. The Miami News ceased publication on December 31, 1988. Many of the newspaper's staff and all of its assets and archives were moved to nearby sister publication The Palm Beach Post
in West Palm Beach.
Notable former employees include Pulitzer Prize
-winning cartoonist Don Wright, Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker
, the late columnist John Keasler
and best-selling author Dary Matera
, who served as a general assignment reporter from 1977 until 1982.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for most of the 20th century, its chief concurrent competitor being the morning-edition of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called The Miami Metropolis. The Metropolis had become a daily (except Sunday) paper of eight pages by 1903. On June 4, 1923, former Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
governor James Middleton Cox bought the Metropolis and renamed it the Miami Daily News-Metropolis. On January 4, 1925 the newspaper became the Miami Daily News, and published its first Sunday edition.
Cox had a new building erected for the newspaper, and the Miami News Tower was dedicated on July 25, 1925. This building later became famous as the Freedom Tower
Freedom Tower (Miami)
The Freedom Tower is a building in Miami, Florida, designed by Schultze and Weaver. It is used currently as a memorial to Cuban immigration to the United States. It is located at 600 Biscayne Boulevard on the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College. On September 10, 1979, it was added to the U.S....
. Also on July 25, 1925, the News published a 508 page edition, which still holds the record for the largest page-count for a newspaper.
The News was edited by Bill Baggs
Bill Baggs
William Calhoun "Bill" Baggs was editor of The Miami News from 1957 until his death in 1969. Bill Baggs was one of a group of Southern editors who campaigned for civil rights for African-Americans in the 1950s and 1960s...
from 1957 until 1969. After that, it was edited by Sylvan Meyer until he was fired in 1973, when he removed his name from the masthead the day an owner-ordered endorsement of Nixon ran. Its final editor was Howard Kleinberg, a longtime staffer and author of a comprehensive history of the newspaper.
In 1973 the News moved in with Miami's morning paper, The Miami Herald at One Herald Plaza, sharing its production facilities while maintaining a separate editorial staff. The Miami News ceased publication on December 31, 1988. Many of the newspaper's staff and all of its assets and archives were moved to nearby sister publication The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
in West Palm Beach.
Notable former employees include Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning cartoonist Don Wright, Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker
Adrian Walker
Adrian Walker is an African American metro columnist for the Boston Globe. His column appears in the City & Region section of the Globe on Mondays and Thursdays....
, the late columnist John Keasler
John Keasler
John Keasler was an American newspaper columnist for The Miami News, which folded in 1988.Keasler grew up in Plant City, Florida, which is 26 miles east of Tampa. He got his start in journalism with a newsletter he penned while serving in World War II. He parlayed the newsletter into a job with the...
and best-selling author Dary Matera
Dary Matera
Dary Matera is an America author and newspaper columnist who specializes in real-life casebooks. He is from Chandler, Arizona.The son of a Voice of America foreign service officer, Matera grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, and Angeles City, Philippines...
, who served as a general assignment reporter from 1977 until 1982.
Pulitzer Prizes
- 1939 - public servicePulitzer Prize for Public ServiceThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
, for its campaign for the recall of the Miami City Commission - 1959 - national reportingPulitzer Prize for National ReportingThe Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting has been awarded since 1948 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award....
, Howard Van Smith, for a series of articles that focused public notice on deplorable conditions in a Florida migrant labor camp, resulted in the provision of generous assistance for the 4,000 stranded workers in the camp, and thereby called attention to the national problem presented by 1,500,000 migratory laborers. - 1963 - international reportingPulitzer Prize for International ReportingThis Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years , it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - International...
, Hal Hendrix, for his persistent reporting which revealed, at an early stage, that the Soviet Union was installing missile launching pads in CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and sending in large numbers of MIG-21 aircraft. - 1966 - editorial cartooningPulitzer Prize for Editorial CartooningThe Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning has been awarded since 1922 for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect...
, Don Wright, for "You Mean You Were Bluffing?" - 1980 - editorial cartooningPulitzer Prize for Editorial CartooningThe Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning has been awarded since 1922 for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect...
, Don Wright
External links
- Miami Metropolis, freely available with full text and full page images in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Daily Miami Metropolis, from 1904-7 freely available with full text and full page images in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Miami Daily News, from 1929 freely available with full text and full page images in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- History of The Miami News, 1896-1987, by Howard Kleinberg. Centennial history of The Miami News, written by its last editor.
- Sylvan Meyer and the Miami News